Not That Simple
by Catsafari
Summary: Could something as simple as love break a curse? Then again, when was love ever simple? AU.
1. People like Us

**A/N: As a birthday present (from me) I'm giving you the first chapter of the story that will be starting next week - _Not That Simple_. This Friday the last chapter of Haunted will be postedso I don't feel too guilty giving you only a taster of _Not That Simple_. ****As usual, this was based on a fairy tale and, **_**as usual**_**, this eventually drifted off. Warning: I may be a little cruel (ahem, cruell**_**er**_** than usual) to my characters. Please don't kill me; I feel it is necessary for the characters' development.**

**Also, I really loved writing this story and I want it to be good. So don't be afraid to point out anything that doesn't make sense or needs tweaking. I may struggle to correct it in this story (as it's all written and everything) but it'll really help me with future stories. Although, some apparent plot-holes may be explained later on, so be patient with me.**

**And with no further ado, read on!**

**Catsafari. =^^=**

**ooOoo**

_What separates the butterfly from the moth? If the butterfly was lost in its chrysalis state, might it not be mistaken for the latter? And if even the butterfly thought herself a moth, then who would see her true nature? _

_Who will teach her to fly?_

_x_

Chapter 1: People like Us

"Haru! Haru, don't wander off!"

The five-year-old brunette simply giggled and carried on chasing the pretty butterfly, trying to catch it in her young hands as it flittered teasingly out of reach; her thoughts far away from the dreary city-centre surroundings around her. Focused only on the pretty flying thing that was too quick for her to catch.

"Haru, stay near the stall!"

The butterfly alighted on a low wall, beating its gauzy wings lazily in the summer breeze. Still giggling, Haru slowed down, cupping her hands in preparation for the catch.

"Haru!" This time the clipped tone of her mother broke her from her game as a hand landed on her shoulder. The command startled the butterfly and it took off again.

"Look, mummy – a butterfly!" laughed Haru, pointing to the disappearing pair of glistening wings. Her face fell a little as she realised it wasn't coming back, but nonetheless she turned breathlessly around to face her mother, waving in the direction of where it had gone. "Did you see it? Did you see the butterfly?"

Naoko Yoshioka sighed; tucking one red strand of hair behind her ear with the action. "Yes Haru. Now do you remember what I said about being safe?"

Now Haru started to look guilty, rubbing her foot into the ground as she cast her eyes down. "You said not to wander from the stall," she muttered.

"Yes. And do you know why that is?"

"Because it's not safe for a child to be running around by herself," Haru replied in tone that suggested this was a well-covered topic. "I know."

With another sigh, the redhead mother swept her daughter into an affectionate embrace. "Yes, you do. Try not to drift off in future; I can't keep an eye on you and the stall."

With one last glance back to where the elusive butterfly had disappeared to, Haru allowed her mother to take her small hand and lead her back to their stall. It was deliberately set to catch the eye, covered in small handicraft items – most of them knitted or quilted – set in bright and patterned colours. Haru sat down on the low ledge behind the stall, letting her feet absent-mindedly kick at the air as she watched her mother quickly return to her vigil of manning the stall.

"Mummy, I'm hungry."

Naoko glanced back from bartering with a potential customer. "Just give me a moment, sweetheart."

Haru glanced down at her feet; swinging them a little faster to take the edge off her hunger. The customer was being difficult; refusing to pay the full amount her mother had set the price at. Giving her feet another bored swing, she dropped down to the ground and moved over to her mother's side. Tugging at the familiar, worn skirt the woman was wearing, she reminded her of her plea.

"Please, not just now Haru."

Haru pouted and peered over the edge of the stall at the well-dressed lady her mother was debating with. There was a visible difference in the style of clothes the two women were wearing – whereas the lady was wearing a elaborate dress made up of a rich red material, her mother only had a simple brown skirt and a tired – but clean – pale blouse.

The lady was obviously becoming uncomfortable with the young child's unceasing stare, because her clouded grey eyes began flitting from Naoko to Haru, regarding the girl with some emotion Haru recognised but didn't know the name of. A few more years would teach her this look was distaste.

"No, if you're not going to budge the price, I don't think we can come to an agreement," the lady said curtly to Haru's mother, sparing one last look to the child watching her. "Good day."

When she had gone, Naoko began grumbling. "Good day to you too, misery-guts. It wasn't like you couldn't spare the extra pennies, was it? It's not like those few pennies dictate whether you'll eat tonight, not like you've ever had to worry about feeding your child..."

Haru tugged at her mother's skirt again. "Mummy, what's wrong?"

Smiling gently as she pushed aside her previous words, Naoko swept up her only child into her arms. "Nothing, sweetie. Mummy's just annoyed that the lady wouldn't pay the full price for the bag."

Haru regarded her mother with her large, soulful eyes. "So something is wrong then," she remarked, taking her thumb out of her mouth to comment.

"No, not at all..."

"You said you were annoyed."

"Yes, I know."

Haru processed this information with as much sincerity as her five-year-old mind would allow. "Mummy, I'm hungry," she repeated finally.

"Yes, I know." Naoko sighed and put her daughter back on the ground. "But we finished up the last of the food this morning, remember?"

"Can you buy some more?"

"I could... but that would require leaving the stall." Naoko glanced at the stall, then at her young child. She shook her head. "And you're too young to be able to look after the stall by yourself. Sorry sweetheart, but can you wait until the end of the day? Can you wait until I've finished with the stall?"

Thumb back in mouth, Haru nodded. The thumb came out. "I'm really hungry," she reiterated.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

Again, Haru took a moment to process the information.

"Is there any food in the cart?" she eventually asked.

Naoko now spared a glance to the horse-and-cart that was standing a few metres away, tethered to a post for safety. Then she turned back to the girl. "No, Haru. Can you be a good girl and wait until the end of the day? Please?"

The five-year-old blinked a couple of times, and then nodded.

"That's my girl." Naoko kissed the top of Haru's head affectionately. "Do you want to go and stand with Taro?"

For the moment forgetting her hunger, Haru's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. She scrambled out of her mother's hold and started towards the cart.

"Just remember not to leave the cart," Naoko called hurriedly. She watched her only child then returned to the stall, shaking her head fondly at the little brunette's carefree attitude.

"Hello Taro." Haru's signature giggle returned as the aging horse lowered his head and nudged her good-naturedly. "No, I haven't got any food on me, sorry." She grinned and stroked the horse's forehead earning a friendly whinny for it. "No, not even being nice will make the food appear magically."

The horse whinnied again.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. But mummy says we won't be able to get any food until she's finished at the stall." Haru pouted.

Her innocent eyes strayed away from the horse to the butterfly that was hovering overhead. She laughed freely. "Butterfly, you returned!" she cried happily, reaching her arms up into the air as if willing for it to land on her hands. The butterfly seemed to regard her and then drift away.

"No, don't go, butterfly!" Still laughing, she set about chasing it, forgetting her mother's instructions entirely in her pursuit of the pretty flying thing. She half ran, half skipped, as her mind became absorbed by the butterfly.

"Come back!" she cried, giggling as the butterfly still avoided capture. "I just want to play!"

Chase of it led her down an alley and away from her mother. Still she laughed as her feet just followed the creature before her in childish bliss, no longer aware of where she was going. The butterfly flew through a gap in a high, carefully tended hedge and disappeared into the garden beyond.

Haru stopped and started at the barrier separating her from the pretty animal, peering through the gap. It was small, but then, she was small too. With this encouraging thought, she set about scrambling through the thick foliage, trying to spot the colourful blur that would be the butterfly. She finally made her way into the garden and squealed happily when she saw the butterfly resting gently on a brightly coloured flower.

"What are you doing here?"

Reluctant to be distracted, Haru turned to the owner of the voice to see a young boy a few years older than her standing several metres away. "Butterfly," she said plainly, pointing to said insect as a way of explanation. She grinned. "I was following the butterfly."

He didn't take his eyes off her, apparently surprised by the sudden appearance of a small girl climbing out of the hedge. For several moments he didn't answer, but then his face split into a grin of his own. "What's your name?"

"Haru. Yours?"

"Humbert."

Haru giggled. "That's a strange name."

The lad went a little red with indignation. "Well so is Haru."

"Is not."

"Is too."

Haru stuck out her tongue at him. "Humbert's all stuffy and old," she told him rudely. "You sound like my grandfather."

"Well, Haru sounds like a boy's name," he retorted.

Haru was about to open her mouth to snap back a reply, but then stopped. "Really?" Her voice sounded a little hurt.

There was a pause, then the boy hung his head shamefully. "Sorry, my tutor says I should think before I speak. I didn't mean that. Haru's a very pretty name."

"Oh." The tiny brunette seemed to consider this before replying dutifully, "Humbert isn't really that bad."

He smiled ruefully back at her. "But you were right in a way – I was actually named after my grandfather."

Haru took this in, then let her eyes wander to the butterfly. "What's a tutor?" she asked curiously.

"A tutor?"

She nodded.

"It's like a... teacher..."

"Someone who teaches then?"

Humbert nodded, watching the little girl with interest. "You mean you don't have tutor?"

"My mummy teaches me stuff."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like how to cook and clean and stuff." Haru tilted her head to the side. "Is she a tutor?"

The boy laughed. "I don't think so."

"But she teaches."

"It's a little bit more specific than that." He hesitated, then asked, "Can you read?"

Haru made a noise that suggested she was insulted by the question. "Of course I can. Mummy's teaching me."

"Oh."

They looked over each other for a few elongated seconds, perhaps taking in their differences for the first time. Haru tugged unsurely at the hem of her plain brown dress, ignoring the several additional stitches and patches that suggested the dress had been well mended a few times. This was in comparison to the boy's clothes that looked as good as new. Perhaps they were new. Haru couldn't remember the last time she had a new outfit. She scuffed her tatty shoes against the perfectly kept grass at her feet.

"Where's your home?" the boy eventually asked, as if the manners had been well hammered into him.

Haru looked back at the way she'd come. "Out there," she said vaguely. "Mummy and me sleep in the cart usually."

"You sleep in a cart?"

Haru nodded. "We move around a lot and mummy sells her stuff so we can have dinner." With this thought came the realisation that she was still hungry. To consolidate this fact, her stomach rumbled. Not just a short rumble, but a full, ten second long grumble that sounded as if someone had set an earthquake going in her stomach.

Both children giggled.

"Hey, if you're hungry we can get some food," the boy said suddenly.

"You have food?"

"Duh, that's what the kitchen is for."

"Oh. We don't have a kitchen." Haru frowned as she said this, as if wondering why the smartly dressed boy had a kitchen but she didn't.

"Humbert! Humbert, where are you?"

Haru jumped, but the boy just laughed. "That'll be my tutor. That means it's lunchtime. Come on, he'll let you have something to eat."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Haru! Haru!"

Humbert frowned. "Who's that?"

Haru glanced behind her. "Oh, that's my mummy. She'll be looking for me."

Her mother's calls became higher and more frenzied.

"You should go then; she sounds worried."

"Yeah, I suppose..." Haru looked at the boy and gave a grin. "It was nice meeting you, Humbert."

"Yeah, and you."

Haru ducked through the hole she'd originally entered through and scrambled back through it, although this time was easier as she'd widened the gap the first time she'd gone through. Covered in dirt and scratches, she arrived on the other side, back to the world she knew.

"Haru! Ha–"

"I'm here, mummy."

She found herself seized by a familiar pair of hands. "Oh, Haru, what were you doing?"

Decidedly tired out by her little adventure, Haru snuggled into her mother's embrace. "I was chasing the butterfly."

"Oh... what am I going to do with you? Haru, I told you not to leave the cart."

"I know, I know..." Haru yawned. "But I wanted to see the butterfly."

Naoko sighed and hugged her daughter closer, glancing over her shoulder at the hedge Haru had appeared through. Beyond it could be seen an impressive manor, obviously of someone of high status. She sighed again, trying not to think about how some people at least would be having a decent meal today.

"Do you think I could see him again?" Haru asked tiredly.

"See who, sweetie?"

"The boy."

Naoko froze. "What boy?"

The little brunette yawned again. "Humbert. The boy who was in that garden."

Naoko took another look at the manor. "No, Haru."

Haru's possessive grip on her mother tightened. "What? Why? He said they had food." After a dubious moment, she added, "He said his tutor would let me have something to eat if I asked."

Now out of sight of the manor and all its glory, they arrived back at the cart and stall. Naoko set her daughter down on the back step of the cart and tried to find the right words to explain the complications. "Haru, he didn't know that his tutor would let you have some food."

Haru fiddled with the hem of her dress, feeling like she'd done something wrong, but not entirely sure what. "Well... well," she spluttered confusedly, "it's _his_ tutor. He knows what his tutor would do. Anyway," she added defensively, "why wouldn't he give me something to eat? Humbert made it sound as if they had food to spare."

Her mother bit to her lip nervously. "Haru, not everyone sees other people as equal..."

"Like that lady?"

"What?"

"Like that lady this morning. The one who made you annoyed." Haru lifted her wide chocolate eyes with all the experience of childhood behind them up to meet her mother's. "She was giving me a funny look," she added for good measure.

"Yes, I suppose like that lady. Well, Haru... sweetie... some people look down on us because we're... well, we don't have the same privileges as them."

"Humbert didn't look down on me," Haru said huffily.

"No, sweetheart, I doubt he did. But his tutor might. His family might."

"But what does that have to do with me seeing him? Why would they think that I'm less than them, just because I don't have the same pr- privi- privileges, as them?" Haru asked, struggling a little with the word.

Naoko sighed and drew her daughter into another hug. "I don't know. But you'll understand when you're older. People like the family that Humbert comes from, well, they don't like people like us."

Haru made a face. "What's wrong with people like us?"

Naoko gave Haru a final, sorrowful look, then shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We're going to be moving on to the next town soon anyway, so even if there wasn't the problem about rank..." She shook her head again. "Well, we're moving on anyway. Come on, I seem to have given up on the stall. Let's see if we can buy some bread or something."

ooOoo

Humbert stood watching where the girl in the frayed dress and messy hair had disappeared to, wondering when he'd next get to see her.

"Humbert, I've been calling you! What have you been doing? Everyone's waiting for you."

The boy turned to his tutor – a bespectacled man with dark hair who arrived running and out of breath – and replied, "Just talking, Natori."

His tutor looked around as if expecting someone to jump out at him. "Who, Humbert?"

The boy recalled the girl with her simple clothes and infectious giggle and large round eyes. He smiled a little at the memory.

"Just someone."


	2. Not Everyone

Chapter 2: Not Everyone

"Haru, can you fetch another box from the cart? I'm running out of some stuff."

"Yeah, sure." A now eight-year-old Haru hurried to the cart, pausing only to give Taro a reassuring pat on the neck, before continuing onto the cart. She hauled the box nearest to her off the back of the cart and nested it expertly in her arms. Still young, the past three years had worn her down; the carefree look had gone and her eyes held more caution than any eight-year-old should respectively have. She still laughed, but it was becoming a rarity. She had never stayed in one place long enough to make a friend, and the truth of her mother's words three years ago were beginning to sink in. She saw the distaste the people passing in the streets gave her, and now she recognised the differences between "their world" and "her world".

She dumped the box full of stock behind the stall. "Is stuff selling well today then?"

"Reasonably," came her mother's response.

Haru gave her mother a questioning look.

"We'll be fine for food tonight," Naoko sighed, understanding the true reason for her daughter's question. "And probably for the next few days." She passed over a full box to her daughter. "We've also been given a few items of clothing to repair – do you think you could manage a couple?"

Haru smiled weakly and took the offered box. "Sure." Her mother also repaired clothes sometimes for a bit of spare money, but recently Haru had been learning and now she was able to retreat to the cart sometimes instead of standing by the stall and do a few of the pieces of clothing. At least she got peace and quiet there.

"Hi Taro again," sighed Haru as she passed by the elderly horse. She took her place in the back of the cart, resting underneath the canopy that protected the inside of the cart from possible rain. Not that it looked like it was going to rain today, but it also kept a little bit of warmth in and Haru knew just how cold the winters could get. She had long ago grown out of her old brown dress, but the dress she wore now wasn't very different to it anyway. And with winter fast approaching she usually kept her cloak close around her to save every last breath of warmth.

The needle and thread in her hands danced a merry dance across the skirt, soon bridging the gap so the tear was no longer visible. Only eight, she was by no means perfect, but it was another way of providing income, which meant providing food, so she had grabbed the opportunity at the first chance she got. Now her mother didn't have to worry to the same degree about her running off, they didn't go hungry quite as often as they used to.

There were still days when they didn't eat though.

A little numbed by the cold, Haru's fingers slipped and pricked themselves upon the needle. She quickly withdrew her hand before it could drop blood onto the skirt and applied pressure to the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"Silly needle," she muttered; waiting for the blood to stop. She examined her hand after half a minute; the pin-prick was one among many. One more didn't make much difference. However customers didn't like finding small drops of blood upon their clothes, so she had to be careful. The last time someone had returned to complain about it... She shivered and returned to her task. They had moved on _very_ quickly from that town. Being homeless didn't make them particularly popular with the locals, especially if the locals happened to be high-ranking, so it didn't take much to turn people against them.

Haru had discovered that at a startlingly young age.

Time went by and the needle and thread began to fall into a pattern. Like some slender dancer, the needle dipped and rose through the material, slowly bringing the tear to a close. Haru couldn't stop the small prick of jealously inside her that hurt more than the needle-prick had ever done. It had only ever been a twist of fate that she had been born into the life she had, which meant she was always scrounging for her next meal, wearing clothes that never quite fitted, instead of living a life of comfort. She loved her mother dearly, but sometimes, she couldn't help wondering what her life would've been like if fate had led her to be born to a different family...

Her eyes trailed off from the skirt and instead focused on the town before her. If she cast her mind back, she could still remember the boy from three years ago, who was not that much older than her, but whose life was so very different from her own.

The day finally came to its end and as she helped her mother tidy up the stall and pack the unsold items into the cart, Naoko passed a small pouch over to her.

"There, go and get something to eat – it's been a long day."

"Will you be okay with the stall?"

Naoko laughed at the maternal note already present in her young daughter's voice. "I'm sure I can manage it. There's not much in that purse, but it's enough to get some bread and maybe some meat. Be sure to be careful though. Not everyone–"

"Is to be trusted," Haru finished. "Yes, I know."

The redhead smiled wanly. "Sometimes I feel you're growing up too fast."

Haru grinned and motioned to her dress which was a little too short in the leg. "I think my dress agrees with you there."

"When we get some spare money, a new dress will be the first thing on the agenda," her mother assured her.

"Really?" Haru squealed happily.

"Yes, really. Now go and get us some dinner before it gets too dark."

Still grinning, Haru ran off along the alleyway and around the corner to where she knew a baker's was.

"Why, look who we have here. If it isn't little Haru."

Haru laughed at the friendly voice and peered onto the counter; her mouth watering shamelessly at the wide assortment of pastries and pies and bread rolls. "Hello, Mr Cesari," she said finally; tearing her eyes away from the delicious selection before her and looking towards the baker she'd learnt to trust since first arriving in that town little over a week ago.

"What has your mother sent you to get, little one?"

She longingly returned her gaze to the enticing choice before her, but said, "Only some bread. Could I have a loaf?"

"We've just had one come out of the oven. Lettie – where is that loaf that's just come out?"

"Here." A pretty blonde woman looked over the counter. "Hello Haru. Has business been good today?"

"Not too bad. How much will that be?"

The baker laughed. "I think we can let you have that for a couple of copper coins. And, here, have a couple of these." He brought out two iced buns. "Consider them our treat to you and your mother."

Haru's eyes bugged. "Really?" She took offered buns as if an angel had just dropped out of the sky and delivered them to her. "You really mean it?"

Lettie laughed at the little brunette's incredulous stare. "Of course he does, silly, otherwise he wouldn't have said it. But go quickly, before he decides to take them back," she teased.

The young girl gripped the treats possessively, staring horrified at Cesari before hurriedly leaving. He chuckled. "You shouldn't pull her leg like that." He paused, then looked over at Lettie, adding good-humouredly, "You know, I think I forgot to ask for the money."

The young woman laughed back, but there was something sad in her features. If Haru had stayed long enough, she would've heard her sigh something that sounded like, "The poor little dear."

"Mummy, mummy, guess what Mr Cesari gave me!" Haru giggled as she ran back along the alley. "And he said I could have them for free! Mu–"

She ground to a halt.

The cart was in flames. All of her mother's work and stock ... burning. Everything they relied on to keep them afloat ... gone. The lead that had secured Taro to the cart had been burnt through; Taro had fled.

A shout broke her eyes away from the cart.

"I told you, that's all I own! I haven't got any money!"

"Mummy," Haru whispered. She stood transfixed as she saw the two men who were bearing down on her mother.

"You've been selling wares all day, darling, so don't try to sell us that," one of them slurred.

"We barely have enough to keep us fed; every penny goes towards food and more stock," cried back Naoko. "Everything I own is in the cart!"

"Mummy!"

Naoko's eyes flitted to her daughter, now seeing her there for the first time. "Oh God, no... Haru, sweetheart, _run_!"

The urge to follow her mother's cry battled against the fear of being alone. Haru just stood and continued to stare as one of the men turned towards her.

He turned back to Naoko, grinning. "I didn't know you had a kid."

"Don't you dare touch her!"

The man ignored Naoko's shout and walked over to Haru; she just stood transfixed by her fear. His breath smelt funny, like those who came out of the pubs. Her mother had just warned her that those people were "trouble". Haru had never questioned why.

"Hello, sweetie."

Trying to put on a brave face, Haru pouted. "Only mummy calls me that," she told him stubbornly. Something told her showing her fear wouldn't do her any good.

The man laughed. But unlike Cesari and Lettie's laughs, this scared her. It didn't speak of good-willed humour. "Oh, would you listen to the little lady? Anyone would think she'd been raised proper-like." His eyes were caught by the small leather pouch Haru was carrying. "Would you like to hand that over?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No,"

That laugh again. "I don't think you fully understood me." His tone dropped to a low growl. "Hand over the purse."

Haru glanced worriedly over to her mother for guidance. "Only if you let my mummy go."

"Of course we will..."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You can trust us."

Not everyone is to be trusted. That was what her mother always told her. And alarm bells in the back of her young mind were going crazy, telling her that these men were who her mother had been referring to.

"No."

"What did you say?"

Haru hugged the purse and basket with the loaves in closer to her chest. "I said no. We need that money for food."

The man snarled. "Right, plan one's failed. Plan two." His hand shot out to grab her wrist.

"You leave her along, you bastard!" screamed Naoko. "She's only eight, she's only a–"

A resounding slap stopped her short.

Haru stared from the man holding her mother back, to the one before her. Her mother looked so... so... helpless. So vulnerable.

And that terrified her.

And angered her. From the fear rose an anger she'd never felt so strongly; it filled her entire body. The hand being gripped by the stranger started to shake. "No," she whispered.

"What?"

"No," she repeated. The word was scarily steady. "No. No, no, no, no, NO!" She screamed out the last word and now tears were rolling down her face with the force of the emotion inside her.

"What the–"

The man's hand started to smoke. And then it burst into flame. Wild, uncontrollable, the flames rippled up his body; devouring skin and attire alike. He released the small girl to attempt to put out the fire, but it only seemed to add to the fire's ferocity. It greedily licked up any exposed skin, burning deep.

Haru stepped back, her eyes glittering with a dangerous gold as she watched the man scream. He stumbled away, out of the alley and his companion stared terrified at the young child.

"Witch," he muttered, and then fled after the other man.

Naoko picked herself up, looking fearfully at her daughter. The golden shade had gone from the brunette's eyes, and it seemed what she had just done was dawning on her. "Haru..."

Haru stared up at her mother. The basket lay on its side beside her; the loaf and buns ruined by the dirt, the purse lying forgotten on the ground. The anger had gone; the fear remained. But it was a fear for what she had done this time.

Scared of what she might do next, Haru turned on her heels and ran.

"HARU!"


	3. Charles DuBois

Chapter 3: Charles DuBois

'_I did not just do that, I did not just do that; I did not just set that man on fire..._' Haru's young mind swirled in an uncontrollable current, refusing to accept what her eyes had told her. Her feet pulled her through unfamiliar alleys in her rush to escape the truth. When her fight-or-flight response had been activated by her fear, she would never have expected that, but now her flight response was the only response she could bring.

Her energy fuelled by her fear finally faltered and she collapsed, sobbing in the abandoned corner of a foreign alleyway end. Beside the bins and other rubbish left there, she curled up against the wall; flattening herself against it as her sobs racked her small body. The fear flooded out in the form of tears now; unable to cope with any other way of releasing it.

'_What... is happening to me? What... what did I just do?_'

She brought her hand up so she could see it in the dusky evening light. It looked the same as it had always done – small, young... and un-burnt. Something inside her told her it wasn't right. Small frown lines creased on her forehead as she concentrated and a miniature flame burst into life in her palm. She gasped and the fire went out instantly.

'_I can... do magic_?'

She daren't say the words out loud; afraid ... but whether she was afraid of whether she was deluding herself or whether she did actually possess magic, she wasn't sure. Still she cradled her hand as she thought over what she'd done. Was that man still alive? Had she killed him with her fire?

She clenched her eyes shut and tears snuck past her guard. No, she didn't want to think over that possibility. Her eight-year-old mind couldn't comprehend the fact that maybe she had... that maybe she had... she had...

A small meowing to her side mercifully broke her from her thoughts. She dropped her hand guiltily, but relaxed when she saw who the newcomer was.

"Are you lost like me, kitty?" Haru asked in a small voice. She reached out – with her other hand, afraid what her right might do – and stroked the white kitten behind the ears. The cat purred and leaned into her touch. "Do you live out here, like me, kitty? I bet you're hungry."

The kitten gave an affirmative mew.

"Sorry; I don't have any food on me. I'm just as hungry as you are."

Haru watched the kitten a few moments longer, then pulled the white cat into a powerful embrace. She hugged the ball of fur close to her; breathing in the comforting smell of warm fur and trying to push her worrisome thoughts aside. The cat didn't attempt to escape Haru's grasp, but somehow seemed to sense that this was what the young brunette needed right now.

"I don't want to be a witch," Haru whispered tearfully. "I don't want magic. I just want things to be back to ordinary, back to the way they were. And yet... And yet I can feel the magic inside me and it's awake now..." She buried her head into the kitten's fur. "I can't ignore it now... It _wants_ to be used..."

She pulled her tear-stained face away from the feline, her brown eyes taking in the cat with a new look. "Maybe I could direct it somewhere else... so I won't... so I won't hurt anyone." She tried to smile, but the action came grudgingly. She had an idea. She sniffled a little and the tears began to stop in their flow. "Can you talk, kitty?"

A flood of warmth spread through her with her words; similar to the rush she'd received when she'd started the fire on the bandit, but it contained none of the fear or anger as before. Her eyes glazed to a temporary golden colour, but it went just as quickly. She blinked it away; the rush of adrenaline subsiding.

"Hello, kitty."

The white cat continued to purr and for a moment Haru thought her attempt at another – this time purposeful – spell had failed, but then the purrs seemed to alter and become words.

"Are you okay? You smell so sad and scared."

Haru scratched beneath the kitten's chin. "That's because I am, I suppose."

The feline froze. "What? Can you–?"

Finally, a childlike smile lit up Haru's face. "It worked!" She clapped her hands joyfully, momentarily forgetting her worries.

"What worked, little one?"

"My spell!" Haru grinned and hugged the cat again. "I'm Haru, by the way!"

"Yuki. Now why don't you explain what's going on? Why...?"

Haru's grin died as the memories from earlier came crashing down. She carefully put the white kitten back down on the ground; afraid now of herself again. "I think I may have done something very bad."

Yuki pawed her wrist comfortingly. "Start from the beginning," she said in her calming purr.

Suddenly, everything that had occurred that day came pouring out of her; her eight-year-old mind struggling to make sense of it all even now, and certainly struggling to put it into words that could get across what had happened. She was pouring out her new fears to a cat she had never even seen before, not even sure she could trust Yuki, but something about her measured tone reassured her. And right now, reassurance was exactly what she needed.

"Your mother will be looking for you," Yuki reminded Haru gently, again pawing at her wrist. "She'll be worried."

"She's s-scared of me," Haru stuttered, remembering her mother's look.

"I'm sure she was just surprised."

"She probably thinks I'm a witch too."

Yuki hissed. "Now, come on. None of that, please. I'm sure your mother is worried sick."

Haru sniffled and peered at the snow-white kitten. "You think?"

"I'm sure of it."

"But what if she isn't?"

"Well, you'll never know if you stay here. And you don't want to live on the streets; life is tough as an orphan."

"You're an orphan?" Haru's eyes widened. She didn't even want to try to imagine what her life would be like without her own mother. "You haven't got a mummy? How do you live?"

"I manage." The cat pawed at her again. "Come on; let's find your mummy."

Still sniffling slightly, Haru swept the small cat into her arms for comfort and started down the street. "You'll like my mummy," she told Yuki confidently, sure in that at least. "She's really smart and she makes sure we have enough food. Perhaps if I ask her nicely, she'll let you stay." The young brunette considered this possibility. "That is, if she still wants me."

Yuki hissed again at the negative thoughts. "Now you're just being silly. Which way is your mother?"

Haru paused at a fork in the alley and tried to squish the panic that arose when she realised she couldn't remember the way back. "I... I don't know."

"Haru!"

Her dark brown eyes lit up. "Mummy!" She started to run in the direction of her mother's voice.

"Haru!"

"Haru!"

She suddenly stopped. A man's voice was also calling her. Fear flooded her as she remembered what had happened with the two men before, but the man's voice was coming from the same direction as her mother. And the instinct to return to her mum was strong. Her feet started running again of their own accord.

"Mummy!"

She cannon-balled into her mother's embrace, almost forgetting about the white cat in her arms.

"Haru, what were you doing running off after that? I was afraid something had happened," her mother scolded, but relief was evident on her face. "No matter; you're back now. And you've brought a friend. Hello, little cat."

Yuki meowed appreciatively at being remembered as she was given space to breathe again.

"Mummy, this is Yuki. Can she stay with us? Please? Please–" Haru stopped. She looked at the man to her mother's side. "Who is he?"

Naoko chuckled at her daughter's wide-eyed expression. "This is Charles DuBois. He helped with the cart after those ruffians had left. He's also been helping me find you."

Haru looked at the man while trying to look like she wasn't. He still saw her stare, but, unlike other people, he didn't seem to mind. He even seemed to understand her curiosity. He was quite tall in stature – but then, any adult was to Haru – and his clothes were fancier than what Haru and Naoko were wearing. He reminded her a bit of the boy she'd met beyond the hedge several years ago, just because his clothes, like Humbert's, weren't riddled with patches and holes like hers were.

He knelt down so he wasn't as tall, looking at the child in the eye. Haru noted that his eyes were a startling blue colour. "Hello Haru. You've had quite a scare, haven't you?"

Haru looked up to her mother hesitantly, to see if her mother approved of this man. A slight nod from the redhead confirmed this and the little brunette nodded. She wasn't sure how much her mother had told him, so she just did that.

The man – Charles – laughed. It was a relaxed, comfortable laugh. "She doesn't talk much, does she?"

"She's wary of strangers," Naoko explained. She patted her daughter. "It's okay, he's nothing like those other men."

"Vagabonds," Charles growled slightly under his breath as he stood up straight to address Naoko. "They're the reason the streets are dangerous to walk through at night. It isn't safe for a young woman to be out alone."

"We manage." Haru was reminded of Yuki's response while listening to her mother talk. Her stomach rumbled, disrupting whatever the man was about to reply. Both adults stopped; Naoko wincing a little. "Haru, we might have some coins somewhere... perhaps we could get some more bread... or failing that we could ask for some scraps from the baker's..."

Charles seemed horrified by the suggestion. "You mean you have nothing?"

Naoko gestured tiredly to the burnt cart. "Everything we had was in there. We're going to have to start from scratch, but I don't know how we're going to."

"Then it's quite simple – come back with me."

The redhead stared at the man as if he'd just suggested she fly to the moon and back. "No, no I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm afraid we can't accept." She swept Haru into her arms; careful to not hurt Yuki in the process.

Haru tugged at her mother's arm. "Why can't we, mummy?"

"Remember what I said about people like us?" Naoko whispered. "We don't belong."

Haru looked at her mother with her large, soulful eyes. "I'm hungry," she said plainly.

The redhead stopped, taking in the pitiful, scrawny state of her beloved, only daughter. Who knew when they'd be able to next get a proper meal? She could survive without food for a while, but Haru... Haru was becoming only skin and bones and although it wasn't anywhere near life-threatening yet, it wouldn't take much before her unpredictable diet would start to show in more extreme ways.

Naoko sighed and hugged her daughter closer. She turned back around. "Mr DuBois?"

The man was still standing there, as if knowing she was going to reconsider. "Charles is fine. Have you decided to take up my offer?"

The last thing she wanted was to place her and Haru's fate into the hands of an almost complete stranger. But it was the best chance for the tiny brunette cradled in her arms.

"Yes."

ooOoo

"Louise! Louise, I've brought back a friend for you!"

Haru allowed her mother to lead her into the grand house by the hand; terrified as she entered the type of house she had only ever looked on from outside. To enter one... She just felt so out of place. The man – Charles, Haru corrected herself – had comfortably strode inside, ignoring the bemused expressions of staff as the bedraggled forms of Naoko and Haru entered. He had passed his jacket to a man who placed it on a rack beside other spotless and well-ironed jackets and he had called up the stairs for someone.

Haru tugged at her mother's skirt. "Who's Louise?"

Naoko shrugged. "His wife, I guess." Her eyes were wandering round the elaborately furnished mansion, trying to understand how someone could earn enough to be able to afford to make everything so grand and still be able to pay for a meal at the end of it.

"It's a little bit bigger than the cart," Haru said in a small voice eventually.

Naoko smiled warmly. "Just a bit," she agreed.

Haru tried to remember if she had ever lived in a house, but all she could bring to mind was the cart that she'd spent so much time travelling around in. It had always just been that – her, her mum and the cart. And Taro.

Haru turned to her mother again and tugged more insistently at her mother's skirt. "Where's Taro?" she asked urgently.

"Don't worry, Charles said he would send someone out to find him. Didn't you, Charles?"

The tall man smiled. "Sure. Don't worry, little lady, we'll find your horse for you. He can't have got far." He turned back round to face the interior of the mansion. "Louise! Oh, where is she? Louise, I've brought back some people you might like to meet."

"Coming father!"

The two Yoshiokas exchanged glances.

_Father_?

A moment later it was explained as a small blonde came racing down the stairs. Seeing her made Haru feel shamed by the simple rugged dress she wore. The girl, who was about a year younger than Haru herself, was dressed in a beautiful blue dress that matched her eyes, which were of the brightest blue. Just like her father's, Haru realised. The dress wasn't overdone – as some dresses Haru had seen – but simple enough to be comfortable for the seven-year-old and elegant enough to be obviously of high-ranking.

On seeing her father back, the little blonde lost all the dignity and acted like the child she was as she rushed into her father's embrace. "Daddy!"

"Hello, Louise. What have you been up to? Haven't been terrorising the poor staff have you?"

The girl had the confidence to appear mock-offended. "No. I was reading, if you must know. When did I last terrorise the staff anyway? I've grown out of tantrums now." After a moment she added, "Well, mostly."

Charles chuckled. "I know, I know. You know I'm just teasing."

Louise grinned, and then saw the Yoshiokas. "Who are they?"

"They're going to be staying for a while, princess. This is Naoko and her daughter, Haru. You must be extra nice to them since they've had a stressful day."

"Oh." The pretty blonde looked over at the quiet brunette, taking in her appearance and her silence. Her eyes moved down to Yuki, who had recently jumped out of Naoko's arms and was walking across the marble floor; unfamiliar with the surface. "Oh, you have a kitty!" she cried happily. She scooped up the unsuspecting kitten, who was good enough to just go along with it (probably in the hope of food) and grabbed the young brunette's arm. "Come on, Haru! I'll show you the other kitties around here!"

Naoko watched her daughter being dragged away by the enthusiastic blonde, her heart worrying at letting Haru out of her sight, but recognising the lack of threat she just smiled. "My, my, that is one lively daughter you have there."

Charles laughed. "She is indeed. Don't worry; she'll look after Haru. In her own loud way."

"Haru hasn't been able to get to know other children her age," Naoko said after a moment. "Perhaps this is the break she's been needing. But what about Louise? She seems very active."

"She's good. She's very good. She takes after her mother mostly – all except the eyes."

"Ah, yes, I'd love to meet your wife. She sounds like a lovely woman to have raised such a beautiful child."

For the first time, a sadness slipped onto his face. "Leah DuBois has been... gone for a year now," he said eventually. "A wasting sickness claimed her last winter."

"Oh... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. You know, I just assumed that..."

Charles shook his head. "You weren't to know. And it's easier if you know early on... Saves less confusion. But what about Haru? Did you just raise her yourself?"

It was Naoko's turn to let a small, sad smile slip onto her features. "Haru's father... well..." Her head turned away; her eyes finding little refuge as they rested on the unfamiliar streets outside. "He didn't stick around for long. A relationship was one thing. Supporting a family was another." Her stormy-grey eyes glazed out. "I was young, I was foolish."

"How did you... forgive me for asking, but how did you end up on the..."

"On the streets?"

Mutely, Charles nodded.

"I didn't always," sighed the redhead. "My family wasn't rich, but my parents earned enough to keep us comfy. I ... stupidly ... ran away from the security of that home with ... the man who would become Haru's father."

"She's never had a father figure in her life then?"

Naoko shook her head. "I thought about returning to my parents, but I couldn't bring myself to for-for too many years. When I finally did all there was to find were two graves."

On hearing this, Charles moved to place a comforting arm around her shoulders. To both his and her surprise, she leaned in to his touch and started to shed tears onto the stranger who'd invited her and her daughter into his home.

"To what's been lost," he whispered.

"To what's been lost," she echoed.


	4. Changes

**A/N: Sorry for the mild lateness and sorry for the lack of reply to reviews. This week has been absolutely crazy and I'm still finding my feet and finding my routine so, as you'd perhaps expect, updates are happening but with the potential to be more sporadic than usual. That's all.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. Thank you and God bless.**

**Catsafari out. =^^=**

Chapter 4: Changes

"H-Haru, why don't you talk much?" Louise finally asked, stuttering a little over Haru's unfamiliar name. She didn't wait for the brunette to reply however, plunging straight into her next sentence. "Daddy says I talk too much. He says I never leave any space to let anyone else speak, but I think he's just exaggerating. He usually jokes like that, but he doesn't mean anything by it. He's funny like that." Louise grinned ruefully at the thought of her father's words and then, just as suddenly, snapped her head to Haru. "You don't talk much, do you?" she asked, heedless of the fact that she'd already asked a similar question before. She gave a thought-induced pause before grinning again and adding, "I like you."

Haru listened mutely to Louise's chatter; her eyes ruthlessly being dragged from one detail of the mansion to the next. Her young mind was still trying to comprehend that some people lived like this, in such easy-going extravagance. That while she'd been living on the streets, some people had been enjoying such comfort, and had never known the hardship of living rough almost every night.

She allowed Louise to carry on with her excited talk, not being able to find anything to say. She thought back to what she had done – accidently or not – earlier that day and couldn't stop a small prick of fear pierce her heart. '_If they knew what I'd done, would they throw me out_?' she silently asked herself, now no longer listening to Louise. A barely visible shiver wracked her body as she looked around the mansion again. '_Of course they would_,' she answered. '_This place is too pretty, too perfect to take me in if they knew what I did_.' She tugged insecurely at her ragged dress, feeling more out of place than ever. '_I wonder when we're going to leave_.'

ooOoo

There were two extra places at the DuBois table that evening for dinner and as Haru sat at the table she wasn't sure what she was expecting. The place set before her was empty, apart from the cutlery set out, and she wasn't sure how to respond to this. She was wondering whether she was meant to fetch her own food or whether they'd just forgotten to set out the food entirely, but everyone else seemed unsurprised by the lay-out, so she just remained quiet and hoped everything would become clear soon. She entertained herself by picking at the cutlery at her place, wondering why so many knives and forks were needed for one meal. Eventually her eyes trailed away and watched her mother converse with the man – Charles, she reminded herself – and couldn't help noticing that her mother looked more relaxed than she had in a long time.

"You don't need to go immediately after dinner," Charles DuBois was saying, his voice thick with sincerity. "You've lost the cart – you have nowhere to go tonight. And you cannot allow the child to sleep out in the cold at this time of the year."

Haru wanted to point out that she had done so several times in the past, but ever since entering the DuBois mansion, she seemed to have lost her voice. However Naoko replied, "You would be happy with us staying here?" Even though she attempted to hide the surprise, it was nonetheless audible.

"After what you've gone through today, I think it would be heartless of me to send you out onto the street. Stay a night." When he saw her gaze flicker nervously to Haru he added, "If not for yourself, for your daughter at least." He smiled gently when she looked up suddenly at his comment. "That's what brought you here in the first place, is it not?"

Naoko couldn't truthfully deny his words, so she just nodded her agreement to his proposal. "We will stay another night... if that's okay with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Haru turned back to her dismally empty place before her. She was just wondering whether they normally waited so long before getting food when several maids entered from another room, bearing steaming bowls of soup. Without thinking about it, Haru grabbed one of the spoons before her and nearly attacked the bowl when it was placed before her. She ignored the burning pain as the scalding liquid slipped down her throat, concentrating only on filing her desperately deprived stomach with much needed substance.

"Haru, slow down," her mother scolded, worry blending into her voice. "You're going to give yourself indigestion if you eat like that."

The two DuBois were staring at the little brunette, Charles more tactfully than Louise and with obvious sympathy. "When was the last time she ate?" he asked softly to Naoko.

"Yesterday."

Charles tilted his head questioningly.

Naoko sighed and added, "It was just some bread and cheese. It was the most we could afford."

"Daddy, she's spilt some of the soup," Louise whined a little reproachfully as she edged away to stop the stray soup falling onto her dress.

"Louise, just let it go, dear."

Naoko had slipped out of her seat and walked round to Haru. "Come on, Haru," she murmured comfortingly. "You need to slow down, sweetie. There's enough food and no one's going to take it away from you."

On feeling her mother's presence so close to her and her soup, Haru had instinctively flinched away, but on hearing her soothing words she relaxed. It seemed to snap her out of her starvation-driven devouring and take in the now practically empty bowl before her. She hiccupped once and looked up at her mother with her large soulful eyes. "S-sorry."

Naoko sighed and patted her daughter. "It's okay. Try not to gorge yourself in future though. It's not good for you."

Haru looked over at Louise, who was still trying to deal with Haru's reaction to food, and at the blonde's expression, guiltily wiped at the small soup spillage.

Charles leant over to Naoko when she returned to her seat. "What did you mean by 'there's enough food'?" he asked quietly, his eyes watching the small brunette sadly.

"There were other children living on the streets who... would try to steal Haru's food," the redhead explained as briefly as possible. "She became used to having to eat food rather quickly to... well, to ensure she ate each night."

The sympathy in Charles' eyes sharpened. "Then you will definitely stay for the night."

ooOoo

A day soon turned into a week, and a week turned into two, and before anyone in the DuBois household knew it, the two Yoshiokas had stayed for two months. Every evening, Charles would ask Naoko if she would stay one night, just for Haru's sake, and every evening Naoko would accept. At first it was because Haru was too hungry, too thin, and then when Haru began to return to a healthy weight, it was because it was still winter and they couldn't live without a roof in this season. And then when winter passed and spring arrived, Charles claimed that Louise had become accustomed to Haru's presence and soon all thought of leaving the DuBois mansion disappeared for all of them.

Haru twirled shyly in her new dress before the full length mirror in her room. Her new room, the one she'd been sleeping in for the last two months. The one she was sharing with Louise, but nonetheless, it was her room. Anyway, sleeping by herself in a strange mansion would have been quite lonely. She still couldn't get over her new bed – a real bed! – and the new clothes that Charles had insisted on purchasing for her. Naoko had also been treated to a new wardrobe, much against her protests, but she couldn't say she wasn't grateful for them. Her old clothes had become worn out with age and harsh use.

Louise sat at the other end of the room, swinging her feet off the edge of the chair, watching the brunette admire herself in the mirror. "You look pretty in blue," Louise said eventually. "You should wear it more often."

Haru smoothed the rim of her dress, still slightly awed at how comfy the material it was made up of was. "Thanks."

Louise waited a moment longer, then slipped down from the chair, grabbing Haru's arm and dragging her out. "Now you've looked at yourself long enough, can we go outside? Maybe Nico will let us ride Taro today."

Nico was the man in charge of the stables. Haru looked down at herself. "Go riding in this? But it'll get all dirty..."

Louise made a face at that, her sparkling blue eyes narrowing comically. "Oh, pooh, daddy won't mind. It'll clean. Now come _on_."

Haru smiled quietly, knowing that resisting Louise's plans was futile and so allowed herself to be led out. Louise seemed to regard Haru as a sister and took the job very seriously, dragging the brunette everywhere. Both had been an only child, but Haru guessed that having a sister would be something like this.

"Louise, can I just borrow Haru for a moment? Go down to the stables – she'll join you in a few minutes." Naoko stood in the corridor as she watched the two girls; some unreadable expression on her face.

"Um, sure, Mrs... Miss Yoshioka."

"Thanks."

Haru allowed her mother to guide her away, glancing back at Louise, but more interested in her mother's expression. It was a mixture – there was joy, but a little bit of worry. "What is it?"

Naoko knelt down so she was closer to Haru's face. "Haru, you like this place, don't you?"

The little brunette grinned. "Of course. And Mr DuBois... I mean, Charles, got me new clothes." She spun round prettily in her cute blue dress to prove her point.

Naoko laughed, patting her daughter. "I know. I know." A note of... sadness... crept into her voice. "Haru... how would you feel about staying here?"

"S-staying here? For how long? Is the cart not fixed then?"

Naoko sighed and swooped in to hug her girl. "Haru, if we stay here, we won't _need_ the cart. We won't need to sleep on the streets again. _Ever_."

Haru backed away, her young eyes trying to take in her mother's words. "Mum, what's going on?"

"Haru, would you like to stay here? Do you like this place?"

"I... yeah, I like this place, but... mum..." Her mouth flapped uselessly for a couple of seconds. "I mean... What has Mr DuBois said to you?"

"Haru... I don't know how to ask this but... would you like to have Charles as your father?"

The little brunette just stared, words failing on her.

"Haru, please say something."

"Would I have to share you with Louise?"

Naoko finally laughed. "If I accept Charles' proposal, I suppose I would be a second mother to her, yes. But Louise would be sharing her father with you. And you like Charles, don't you?"

"He's funny," Haru said reluctantly.

"Funny ha-ha or funny weird?"

Haru crumpled up her face in thought. "A bit of both?" she suggested.

The redhead smiled and ruffled Haru's brown locks affectionately. "I suppose I can't argue with that. So are you okay with this?"

"Can I be a flower girl?"

"Of course you can!"

Haru giggled and skipped away down the corridor, probably to tell Louise the news. Naoko watched her daughter leave, a tiredness suddenly overtaking her.

"Well, that went well, don't you think?"

Naoko smiled, recognising the voice, and leaned into Charles. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"Eavesdropping? _Me_? What could make you think that I would ever stoop to such a low, uncivilised habit?"

Naoko's smile widened at Charles' teasing, but she still looked the way Haru had gone. "I'm glad she took it so well. I wasn't sure how she'd react to the news."

"She's a tough, smart little girl. You shouldn't underestimate her."

"I don't plan to. Have you told Louise?"

"We've discussed it... You don't know how long it took me to persuade Louise not to tell Haru. She wanted to break the news to Haru immediately, but I figured..."

"That I'd want to be the one. Yeah, you were right."

"She'll learn to love this place, you'll see." Charles embraced his fiancée closer. "Just give it time."

Naoko sighed. "I hope so."


	5. Happiest Day

Chapter 5: Happiest Day

"Come on, Haru, you look lovely."

Haru tugged impatiently at the hem of her dress, her eyebrows knotted together irritably. "No I don't," she muttered.

Naoko sighed and knelt down, straightening out Haru's pale pink flower-girl dress. "Haru, you look _beautiful_."

The little brunette peered at her mother through her brown locks. "Really?"

"Really really."

Haru pouted and turned away. "Louise's prettier than me," she mumbled, thinking of how nice the blonde had looked in her periwinkle flower-girl dress.

"She has a different sort of beauty. That's all."

The frown didn't leave as Haru couldn't stop thinking how Louise always managed to look lovely and... elegant, even at eight years old.

Naoko sighed again and swept away the hair in front of Haru's eyes, kissing the girl's forehead. "You're beautiful to me, and that's all that matters," she whispered and unlatched the necklace from around her neck and hung it around Haru's. "There, now you're even prettier."

Haru picked at the necklace, looking closer at the little charm. "A butterfly?"

"Yes, a butterfly. It starts life as just a simple caterpillar, but when it undergoes change, it turns into the prettiest butterfly of all. But first," Naoko added, cradling her daughter's face in her hands, "it has to be a caterpillar and then a cocoon before its potential becomes clear."

Haru smiled weakly at her mother. "Why are you telling me this?"

The redhead kissed her daughter's forehead again. "I'm telling you this because you're like the butterfly, but you're stuck in the caterpillar stage. Just wait; someone will someday teach you to fly." She stood up and smoothed out her traditional white dress. "Now, come on. Louise should be here, I don't know where she's got to. She needs to hurry; I can already hear the organ starting up."

ooOoo

"Haru DuBois?" Haru tested the name on her lips. "Haru _DU_-Bois... Haru Du-_BOIS_..."

Louise giggled. "Haru, you sound funny."

"I'll never get used to that new name. _It_ sounds funny, _not_ me." Haru looked down shyly and fiddled with the butterfly necklace still around her neck.

"That's pretty!" Louise exclaimed, reaching out to touch it. "I like the sapphires on it too..."

"Sapphires?" Haru looked at the butterfly with new eyes.

"Yeah, they're rare gems." Louise pointed out several small blue gems lining the edge of the wings. "Aren't they pretty?"

"Yeah... pretty." Haru sat at the edge of the room watching the reception play out, her feet swinging lazily off her chair as Louise sat beside her; her feet also failing to reach the ground. The wedding guests had been entirely composed of people from Louise's side of the family; what with Haru's somewhat limited family tree, and so Haru had been unsure how to respond as various aunts and uncles came and cooed over the two youngsters. Her mother – being the bride – was naturally swamped in people conveying their congratulations, and so Haru had stayed out of the way, lest she be trodden on.

"If..." Louise started up slowly, as if she had just thought of something, "our parents are now married, are we sisters?"

"Step-sisters," Haru said automatically. She'd asked her mother the exact same question earlier that day.

Louise grinned. "That makes your mother my step-mother." She gave a short giggle. "_Mirror, mirror on the wall_," she teased playfully.

"That's only ever in fairytales," Haru muttered, suddenly uncomfortable with the topic. "My mother isn't an evil step-mother and... I'm not an ugly step-sister."

Louise looked horrified at the suggestion. "Of course you're not an ugly step-sister! I would never even _think_ such a thing and– Haru... are you okay?" Louise suddenly cut herself off on seeing large, moist tears rise up in her new sister's eyes.

The brunette fretfully shook her head and dropped to her feet as she ran out of the hall.

"No, wait, I was just playing around! Haru!" Louise slipped off her chair, but already Haru had disappeared into the sea of the crowd. Louise instead looked round for the familiar cut of her father's suit, quickly finding him beside her new mother.

"Daddy. _Daddy_," she called, tugging at the hem of the suit.

"Hi, princess." He reached down and brought her into his arms. "Where's Haru? You haven't lost her in this swarm, have you?"

Louise nodded, trying to repress the hiccups that were rising in her throat, saying, "I w-was just k-kidding about the whole step-mother thing!" she defended. "I d-didn't know it'd make her run off like that. It w-wasn't my fault!"

"Now, hold your horses. What happened?"

"I teased her about her mother being my step-mother, joking that she was an evil step-mother..."

"Now, Louise, you know it's not nice to tease."

"I know," replied the small blonde stubbornly, threading a strand of hair between her fingers guiltily, "but when I tease _you_, you don't run off."

Charles sighed. "Louise, Haru is... more delicate than I am. She hasn't had an easy life until now."

"But I didn't know she was going to run off!" she repeated stressfully. "And I don't know where she is now..."

"Maybe you should go and look for her. And when you find her, be sure to apologise."

Louise nodded obediently. "Okay."

Charles set his daughter down to the ground. "Good girl. And maybe in future you should resist from teasing her again."

"Okay."

He watched the tiny blonde rocket through the crowds on her own little mission. Naoko – now Naoko DuBois – came and stood to his side.

"What was all that about?"

"Louise teased Haru and wasn't prepared for the consequences."

"Haru ran off?"

Charles looked to his new wife, surprised. "How did you know?"

Naoko was picking up the folds of her dress, preparing herself to propel through the crowds in pursuit of her daughter. "She had a habit at times of disappearing off. I need to find her–"

Charles placed an arm on her shoulder. "Let the girls manage it themselves."

"But what if Haru's run out of the grounds; Louise won't be able to find her then? What if–"

He chuckled. "Naoko, your daughter is very streetwise. She would know not to leave the building. No, there are plenty of rooms that she could retreat to and the grounds are quite large enough. She's probably just sitting outside somewhere. Give Louise a chance to apologise for what she said and it'll all work out. You'll see."

"And how can you be so sure?"

Charles grinned. "Raising a headstrong daughter like Louise does endow one with a little common sense. And if I'm wrong then you can start filing out the divorce papers," he joked.

That made Naoko smile. "Oh, I don't think that will be quite necessary. Anyway, isn't it a little early to be thinking about such things?"

"Oh, you know; it's never a bad thing to be prepared."

Naoko elbowed Charles. "Does that mean you've already got the papers ready?"

"My lawyer is awaiting orders."

She rolled her eyes. "_Sure_. Isn't today meant to be the happiest day of our lives?"

Charles scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I have heard that rumour, yes."

"Try to act as if you're enjoying today then."

"What? You mean I don't look happy?" he asked disbelieving. "Here, stuck in a stuffy suit–"

"That's your favourite suit," she reminded him.

"That's beside the point. Anyway... where was I up to?"

"Stuffy suit."

"Ah, yes. Stuck in a stuffy suit, playing host to the entirety of the DuBois clan, with its hidden feuds and family black sheep, trying to smile at every Tom, Dick and Harry and pretending that I actually remember or care that their daughter's pet dog's puppies have recently been weaned or other such useless knowledge."

Naoko couldn't resist an underhand laugh at her husband's distain for his family. "Charles, you can't go _saying_ stuff like that!"

"Can't I?"

"No."

"Ah well. It was worth it to bring back your smile."

Naoko couldn't stop the blush.

ooOoo

"Haru! _Haru_!" Louise swerved to avoid being trodden on by an aunt, but still couldn't see the brunette she was looking for. The reception had been held in her home's entrance hall, and after quickly deciding that Haru wasn't in that room, she headed out. She tried their shared bedroom first, but that was empty. She tried Naoko's room – Haru sometimes went there when she was scared – but to no avail. She tried the kitchens – Haru still had a little bit of trouble adjusting to the idea that they always had food to spare – and finally was rewarded with the information that Haru had taken a sausage roll and left in the direction of the stables. Louise remembered her manners and thanked the cooks before running outside.

"Haru?" The small blonde peered round the heavy wooden doors of the stables; her eyes taking a little while to adjust to the lack of light in the dimly lit building. She waited, ears pricked, trying to make out a response. She tip-toed to the box which held Taro and peeked over the top of the gate. "Haru?" she whispered.

The brunette was sitting on the ground of the box; the bulky form of Taro resting beside her with the small white kitten purring on her lap.

"Haru?" she repeated.

Haru raised her head, the tears dried on her face. "Louise? How did you find me?"

Louise laughed quietly. "You shouldn't go through the kitchens; the cooks remember where you go."

Haru nibbled nervously at the sausage roll. "I should've remembered that."

The white cat on Haru's lap meowed and looked purposely at the little brunette. Haru sighed in response.

"Yuki said I should apologise for running off like that," she said in a small voice. "I should've realised you meant no harm, but I'm just a little nervous about the whole thing."

Louise sighed and opened the gate, slipping into the box. "I should also be apologising. I get so used to teasing my father that I forget that not everyone knows I'm just kidding and that actually what I say can be quite hurtful." She sat down beside Haru. "What are you nervous about?"

"Do... do you think I belong in this family?"

Louise just stared at the unexpected question. "... What?"

"Do I belong here?"

"Of course you do!" the blonde insisted fiercely. "We're _sisters_! You belong here just as much as I do!"

"Step-sisters."

"Sisters," Louise corrected stubbornly. "So who cares if we don't share the same blood – what difference does it make? And anyone who tries to say otherwise doesn't matter."

Haru sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Thanks. But... but what if I said that I've done something very bad?"

Louise laughed. "You? You're a little jumpy at times, but bad?"

"I hurt someone," whispered Haru, burying her head into her arms. "I think I may have killed them."

"Did you mean to?"

"No... I was just defending my mum..."

"Does your mum know?"

"I... I think so. She saw it." Haru suddenly panicked. "You won't tell your father, will you? Promise me you won't!"

Her step-sister looked surprised at the terror in Haru's voice. "I-I promise. Cross my heart."

Haru sighed and sat back. "Thanks."

"How... if you don't mind me asking... how did you... hurt the person?"

The brunette began to look increasingly nervous. "You won't laugh, will you?"

"No. Of course not. Not if you're serious."

"It sounds ridiculous."

"Tell me."

Haru leant in. "I think... I think I used magic."

For several moments, Louise's mouth flapped uselessly open. Then, "_Cool_!"

"You believe me?" Haru asked incredulously.

"I promised I would, did I? Can you show me some magic?"

"I don't know."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because after I hurt the man, I ran off and I think I accidently did something to my magic."

"Like what?"

Haru was subconsciously stroking Yuki. "Well, I think... I think my magic only works to help me understand cats now. I can't do anything else."

"So that's why you're always talking to the kitty!" cried Louise in understanding. "Can you tell me what she's saying now?"

Yuki looked up at Haru and meowed.

"She says that she doesn't know what to say now."

The blonde giggled. "Figures. Hello, kitty," she cooed, stroking the cat.

Yuki purred and leaned into the contact.

"Haru?" Louise asked after several moments' silence.

"Hm?"

"Does this make your mother magic too?"

"I don't think so."

"Was your father magic then?"

"I... I don't know. I never knew my father," Haru mumbled. "He left before I was born."

"Oh." Louise thought about this for a moment longer. "My mother died last winter." She laughed good-heartedly, partly, Haru suspected, to block the grief. "You know what's weird? Daddy's been talking about how I needed a 'female role model' for a while now, and I was scared he was going to bring back some wicked step-mother for me." She grinned. "But I got you and your mum instead."

"Your father would never choose a wicked step-mother," Haru replied. "Your father is cooler than that."

"He's _your_ father now too."

"Father..." Haru tested the unfamiliar word on her tongue. "Dad... Daddy." A prick of hurt seeded itself into her heart with the realisation that she had never had had anyone to call 'daddy' when she was younger. She had seen Charles with Louise and suddenly she had seen all the gaps in her life that should've been filled with a father-presence. Naoko had been a wonderful mother, but she couldn't possibly be there for Haru all the time. She recalled the time Louise had scraped her knee while running around outside, and Charles had been the one to bandage it up and kiss it better. She recalled all the times Charles had read a bedtime story to them both; she recalled all the teasing and groan-worthy jokes he would annoy Louise with.

All those memories that could've been hers that were stolen from her. Stolen away by a father who couldn't be bothered to stay; who couldn't be bothered to look after his own daughter. Who had disappeared off the face of the earth after Naoko had given up everything for him; who had left Naoko to bring up a daughter single-handedly on the streets.

A father who had never been there.

In the future Haru would harbour anger for the father who had abandoned her and her mother; the father who had never been there to help with scraped knees or read bedtime stories or joke with her, but right now all she felt was grief.

Grief, but there was another, newer, emotion present.

Hope.


	6. Prejudice

Chapter 6: Prejudice

"Haru, are you paying attention?!"

At the sound of the cane hitting the desk before her, a ten-year-old Haru snapped out of her daydream; a small screech escaped her lips. Her eyes jumped away from the window and to the cane. Then her eyes slowly travelled up the familiar cane and focused on the hand grasped knuckle-white around it. Then, with growing apprehension, she moved her eyes to the owner of the hand.

The tutor – an elderly lady with a pinched face and a name that Haru could never remember, let alone pronounce – smiled thinly. "So you've finally decided to join us, Miss Haru?" she asked brittlely. "We're _flattered_ by your presence."

Behind her, Louise made a face, telling Haru just what she thought of the tutor.

Haru smothered a giggle, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Ah, so you think this is funny, do you?"

Inwardly, Haru groaned, her laugh quickly cut short. That was a question that could only ever lead into troubled waters.

"I asked you a question; so you think this is funny?"

"No, miss." The brunette had to bit a lip though to hide the giggle that was still threatening to rise. "Of course not, miss," she added for extra measure. "How could I ever find the use of..." She peered round at the board, "_pastoral poetry_ humorous in the least?" She knew she shouldn't annoy the tutor, but the temptation was too much.

The woman's lips tightened ever thinner – a bad sign that Haru was getting very close to 'pushing her luck too far,' as the tutor's favourite line seemed to be.

"Miss Haru Yoshioka," she started.

Haru flinched at the name. No matter how many times she tried to correct the lady, she was always referred to by her old name.

"DuBois," Haru murmured quietly.

She knew, without looking up, that she was receiving a glare that invoked the phrase, 'if looks could kill' to a whole new level.

"I know what I mean. Miss Haru Yoshioka–"

"It's DuBois, miss; it's _DuBois_," hissed Haru.

The tutor leaned in. "Don't interrupt me."

Haru looked up icily, quickly losing her grip on her temper. "You have mistaken my name. I am Miss Haru DuBois. I took up that name when my mother married Charles DuBois, and as her daughter I also took up that name. I am Miss Haru DuBois."

"You are a child born out of wedlock," the tutor said coldly. "Technically you shouldn't be a Yoshioka at all, if your father had married your mother. If your _true_ father had, anyway."

Haru's fingers were slowly curling into fists, digging against the wooden top of the desk. "You judge me wrongly," she said between clenched teeth. "A child born out of wedlock I may be, but I am just as much a part of this family as anyone else. If," she continued, getting to her feet with the word, "you beg to differ, I'm afraid we have nothing more to discuss." She kicked her chair away and deserted the room.

Louise sat back in her own chair, watching the tutor carefully. "I guess you won't be teaching any more lessons then," she commented and followed her sister out.

ooOoo

'_Breathe in, breathe out_,' Haru recited mentally to herself. '_Take a breath, take a moment and think calmly_.' She closed her eyes, reciting Yuki's words to her in an effort to restore her breathing to normal. The white cat had told her to repeat those words for her when she needed to regain control; usually it had the desired effect.

"Haru?" She found herself suddenly drawn into a hug by the person who was the nearest to a true sister she'd ever had. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have run out like that–"

"No," the smaller blonde said fiercely, "you had every right to." It was strange; there was only a year between them, but Louise was still noticeably smaller than Haru. Haru's frame was still slightly gaunt from the years of living on the streets, but she had gained some height from the good food in the DuBois household. "If anything, Miss Croc-a-Smile should be the one apologising." Croc-a-Smile was the nickname they'd devised for the tutor, on the basis that if she smiled – truly smiled with all her teeth showing – it often was the fatal predecessor before the storm that was about to erupt. "I can't believe she actually had a go at you about your heritage."

Haru smiled weakly, wiping at her eyes. With Louise's arrival, she quickly regained control over her emotions. "She's not the only one to judge. People know that I wasn't... strictly born within the normal social expectations... and assume that because of that..."

Louise hugged the brunette again. "Well then, they're idiots. I'm going to tell Dad what Miss Croc-a-Smile said to you – she won't be around for much longer. I don't understand why he hired her in the first place..."

"It's because she was having trouble finding a job elsewhere," Haru said quietly. "I heard from Mum. She's getting on and it's hard for a woman her age to find work. Her husband died in the army several years ago."

"So he's hiring her out of pity?!"

Haru sniffled slightly. "The streets are hard, Lou. You should count yourself lucky that you never had to survive out there. It can harden a person."

Louise's face crumpled. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... you know... I mean... I wasn't judging people who live on the streets..."

"I know what you meant. Don't worry."

"But still, we can't let her get away with this."

Haru's eyes had moved to the window and now she stared tiredly out. "I almost hurt her, Louise."

Louise stopped; her eyes wide with fear for Haru. "You mean...?"

The brunette nodded. "I was this close–" she indicated an inch with her fingers "–to losing control over my magic. If I had stayed for much longer, I don't know what I might have done."

"I thought you said that you thought your magic is restricted to only allowing you to speak to cats now..."

"Exactly. I don't know what side effects that would cause if I released my magic on someone when angry..."

Louise grinned roguishly. "Probably turn her into a cat."

The thought made Haru laugh. She had only ever told Louise about her magic – her mother had never brought up the subject, acting as if _that day_ had never occurred – and Haru doubted she would ever learn to trust anyone else with her secret. And, surprisingly, Louise had taken her sister's magical side in her stride, acting as if it was perfectly normal to have a step-sister who could understand cats. When she had been younger, adults had laughed at Haru's apparently one-sided conversations with cats, although she had to be careful that no one suspected that it wasn't anything more than a game.

"So... now what?" Louise asked after seeing her comment had made Haru laughed.

"What?"

"What are we going to do about Miss Croc-a-Smile? If what you said was true, we can't just let her be thrown out onto the streets."

Haru shivered at the memories that it brought. "No, we can't."

"Maybe you should talk to her."

"If she gets me mad again, I could–"

"But you won't," Louise replied coolly. "You have control over the situation and I'm coming with you." She took her sibling's hand. "We'll talk it over with her together. Now, come on, before she reports our absence."

Haru allowed the smaller girl to lead her back to the classroom. Louise tapped on the door, then let them both in anyway. "Miss?"

The elderly tutor looked up from her desk, the cane lying forgotten to the side. "What is it, girls?"

Haru was surprised at how small the woman suddenly looked, but after a nudge from Louise, she remembered why she had come back. "Miss... I just wanted to say... I'm sorry."

The lady looked up as if she had never heard an apology before. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry for running out and shouting at you like that." Louise nudged her again. "But... but I'd prefer it if you didn't refer to me by my previous name and if you refrained from making comments about my heritage. I promise not to run out of classes then if you promise to keep to that."

"You're not going to tell... your father?"

Haru picked up the reference to Charles DuBois as her father and, despite everything, smiled. "No."

"And you're not going to have me fired?"

"No."

The woman was biting nervously at her fingernails; a sign of anxiety that Haru had never seen in her strict tutor before. "Okay. I'll end the lessons early today – you're free to go."

Louise grinned. "Thanks, miss!" She ran out, dragging Haru with her.

"Oh, and Haru?"

Haru pulled herself to a stop. "Yes, miss?"

"Thank you."

Haru grew a grin to rival Louise's. "It's okay."

ooOoo

"See, I _told_ you it'd be fine."

Haru laughed. "Okay, just because you're a _seer_..."

"Hm, could be worse, I suppose. I could be a _cat-speaker_."

Haru laughed again, and nudged Louise's shoulder. "Thanks." She sat back down on the wall, watching people roaming the mansion grounds. "You were right though; that was the better option. If I hadn't gone back then I would've just become angry over the whole thing. I'm afraid though."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of what will happen if I get angry for real – what if I can't control my magic?"

Louise hugged Haru. "That'll never happen. You're not like that."

Haru looked shame-facedly away. "I wish I had your faith."

The blonde peered round at her friend. "You've been down all day, Haru. What's wrong?"

"Apart from the obvious?"

"Yes. You were already in a bit of a daydream before you stormed out of class. Has something happened?"

Haru sighed. "You're way too observant, you know that?"

Louise grinned. "Just as well at times really. So, what has happened?"

"It's... Yuki."

"Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine." Haru leant forward and let her head fall onto her hands. "In fact, she's doing better than fine, she's doing great. She's no longer a kitten anymore."

"What's happened then?"

"Some cat is interested in her."

"So?"

"He's been courting here for several months now."

"So?"

Haru laughed thinly. "Apparently, this cat isn't just any cat. I knew that he was courting Yuki – in fact Yuki came to discuss it with me when he first started. She hasn't told me what he does or is though, but she's planning on leaving here to join him."

"Couldn't he come here?"

"Apparently not. And I can't just ask for her to say no and stay here, can I?"

"Okay, no, you've got a point. Did Yuki tell you anything more?"

"She mentioned that it was something to do with the Cat Kingdom. She's going there."

"There's a Cat Kingdom?"

"I know, that was my response." Haru paused. "With my magic, would I fit in better there, you think?"

Louise looked shocked. "How could you possibly say such a thing? Of course you don't. You belong here." She forcefully patted the wall they were sitting on. "_Here_, with the rest of us; _here_ is your home. Don't be so silly." She nudged her sister. "Don't ever say such a thing."

"Okay, okay, it was just a thought."

"You never know what trouble you'll get into if you wonder such things."

Haru rolled her eyes. "Yes, because I'm really going to get carried off by cats."

"Hm, and probably forced to marry their king."

"Do cats even have a king?"

"Well, it's a kingdom, so I assume so."

"Oh, good point."

Haru sat back on the wall, happier to have got the news off her chest. She was going to miss Yuki; the cat had been one of her first closest friends, but at least she knew the white cat had made the choice to go with the one she loved.

"I wonder if I'll ever see her again," she mused quietly.

"Of course you will," replied Louise confidently. "Life is full of lucky happenings like that."

"Only in books."

"No, you'll see. You'll meet her again."

"You're so optimistic, Lou."

"That's something I'm proud to be."

At that point, a head of familiar red hair passed by, bringing their conversation to a natural end. Naoko DuBois spotted the girls sitting on the wall and stopped.

"Shouldn't you two be in lessons right now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow disapprovingly.

"Nope. We've been given the rest of the day off," Louise said cheerfully. "You can even ask our tutor if you don't believe us. She'll tell you."

"Oh." Naoko paused and gave the two girls one last look. "Okay, but be nice to her. She's going through a lot currently – her only daughter ran off with a guy a year or so ago, and she's recently received news that she died in childbirth. So don't be too difficult."

As she left, Haru and Louise exchanged disbelieving looks.

"Who would've guessed?"

**ooOoo**

**A/N: It would appear I have reached new levels of insanity. As well as taking on the task of a Christmas special (halfway through now - it is possible!) I have also taken on NaNoWriMo. (50K-word story in one month.) This basically translates to one mad, halfwitted writer over the next month, so I apologise for any sudden spurts of madness.**

**On another note, YC's new story has begun and if any of you haven't found it yet (shame on you!) go take a look. We're in for a treat, I can tell you.**

**God bless,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	7. The Loss

"_Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies."_

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

x

Chapter 7: The Loss

The seasons passed and both girls soon found themselves growing up. By the time Haru was twelve and Louise eleven, the two siblings had grown as close as any sisters could be and despite their differences, they were considered like twins. But there were physical and psychological differences between them; Haru was still taller than Louise – she assumed she inherited her long-limbed frame from her father, although she had no way of knowing – but Louise was often the louder of the two. At times, there could still be seen a spark of a haunted gaze in Haru's eyes; a remainder of her years on the streets. For, whereas Louise was confident and loud although naturally sympathetic when she needed to be, Haru was quiet and guarded in her ways. People had often used the phrase 'emotionally restricted' when meeting the brunette for the first time, for although she was like any other twelve-year-old with her family, she struggled with strangers.

It was the age which she had to come to terms with the concept of death.

It was in the period of winter when the ice on the lakes were beginning to thicken to the point of being thick enough to stand on – although Naoko expressively forbid Haru or Louise to try such a dangerous stunt – and the trees were almost continuously covered in a layer of frost. Haru and Louise were both kitted out in near-identical hats, scarves and gloves – identical except for the colour – and were being a menace out by the stables.

"Come on, just for half an hour!" Louise begged the stable-master, tugging insistently at Taro's reins. "We'll be ever-so good, won't we, Haru?"

Haru nodded innocently. "Of course we will."

The stable-master still didn't look that convinced. "He's getting old, Louise. He was old before he came here – I don't know if he can take both your weights anymore. Anyway, the weather's bad."

"If the snow comes – which it probably will soon – we won't be able to ride him anyway," Haru pointed out in a quiet voice. "This may be the last chance we'll get for ages."

"If... you promise to be careful–"

Louise squealed, seeing they had won, while Haru just smiled calmly.

"–then I don't see too much of a problem. But only one of you can ride Taro – the other will have to ride another horse from the stables."

"But–"

"No buts. You're no longer eight and Taro is no longer young. I'm saying you can go, but only one can ride Taro."

Louise thought for a moment then, as if failing to find a counter-argument, shrugged. "Okay. Haru, you can take Taro."

Haru hadn't realised at the time, but her hold had subconsciously tightened on Taro's reins. "Are you sure?"

"Hey, he was originally _your_ horse. Help me choose another one to ride though." The blonde – as usual – grabbed Haru's hand and dragged her into the interior of the stables. After several tangents and laughter, Louise chose out a cherry-bay mare by the name of Ruby and the two of them were ready and raring to go.

"Last one to the old oak is a rotten egg!" screeched Louise and she started her mare into a gallop.

"Hey, you never said ready-steady-go!" protested Haru. "Come on Taro!"

"Be careful!" the stable-master shouted, giving one last warning. Then he turned away and shook his head fondly at the two eager girls. "Not that they'll listen."

Louise easily beat Haru to the old oak – the oak that stood at the edge of the DuBois' gardens and next to the forest – and watched, grinning, as Haru and Taro caught up. "Rotten egg."

"You cheated," accused Haru.

"You were just too slow."

"Cheater."

"Rotten egg."

"Cheater."

Louise gave an exaggerated sigh."Okay, we'll do a rematch. Round the old bridge and back?"

"The normal route?"

"Of course." Louise grinned wickedly. "What do you take me for? A cheater?"

"We'll see. Okay, to the old bridge and back. Ready..."

"Steady..."

"Go!" they both shouted, starting their horses down the familiar pathway. Ruby, Louise's mare, was younger and naturally faster than Taro, who was older and had never been bred for racing. This quickly meant that Haru and Taro began to lag behind.

"Come on, Taro! You don't want to let that redhead-mare beat you, do you? What are you; a snail or a stallion?" encouraged Haru, trying to spot Louise on her mare between the trees.

"Slowcoaches!" the blonde in question shouted back. "You've obviously been pigging out in the kitchens when I wasn't looking!"

"Well, you know what they say – muscle weighs more than fat!"

"Are you suggesting something?"

"Nothing we don't already know!"

Both girls giggled, but suddenly they both came to a stop when they reached a large tree-trunk blocking the bulk of the path. Louise and Ruby – who had been trained for jumping – had already leapt over it and were waiting at the other side.

"Perhaps you should go around it," Louise suggested, uncharacteristically serious now. "I don't think Taro has ever jumped anything like this before."

Haru felt her competitive streak rise to the unmeant bait. "Taro is just as good as any purebred mare you have," she said proudly. "Come on Taro." She led the horse back around to give them both some run-up space and prepared for the leap. "Watch and be amazed, Lou."

"No, I really mean it–!"

Louise's sentence was cut off as Haru kicked Taro into a gallop, heading face-on to meet the trunk. "Come on, come one, come on," chanted the brunette. "There's some spirit in your old bones, isn't there? Show it!"

Taro tossed his head nervously as they neared the jump, but trusting in the mistress he had had before the comfy life of the stables, he continued forward. His front hooves left the ground and for the first few glorious seconds, Haru felt the closest she'd ever experienced to flying. But when it came for his back forelegs to leave the ground also; that was where it started to go wrong.

Haru felt her world tumble for a split-beat moment as Taro's hooves skidded on ice hidden beneath the leaf-carpeted ground. His forelegs cleared the tree, but his back ones caught the trunk and both horse and rider were flung to the ground. Instinctively, Haru covered her head, curled into a ball and rolled away from the flailing form of Taro. Her ears were filled with the shouts of Louise calling her name, but moreover, the screams of Taro.

Haru had never heard a horse scream. She remembered thinking that; even in her panic-saturated brain, she remembered thinking that. She had never believed horses could make any noise so... so heart-wrenchingly painful.

So human.

ooOoo

"No!" Haru had rarely shouted, but now she did. And now her mother was discovering that she owned one powerful set of lungs. "No! No, no, no! You can't!"

"Haru–"

Haru threw off any attempts from her mother to try to comfort her or tend to her cuts and grazes – fortunately she had suffered very little from her fall. Physically, anyway.

Taro wasn't doing so well.

"NO! It's my fault he's hurt!" screamed Haru, unable to cope with what she was being told. "Louise _said_ I shouldn't try to make him jump that tree – it's my fault. Not his! I'm to blame!"

"We're not saying it's his fault. It's no one's fault. We're just saying–"

Haru jumped off her bed, ignoring the ache of her body at such energetic movement. She tried to leave her room. "Let me see him! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not..." The last portion of her sentence was wracked by sobs as finally she allowed her mother to embrace her, the redhead pulling her close to try to comfort all the hurt.

"I know," Naoko whispered. "Trust me, I know."

"Then... why?" Haru whispered back, her worlds barely coherent. "It's not his fault." Her last sentence was so quiet that it sounded scarcely more than a hushed breath of wind.

"I know. But... he's in a lot of pain. When something–"

"Taro isn't a something."

"When _someone_," Naoko corrected, "is in that much pain, the kindest thing is to let them pass away to a happier place."

"But... but he can be healed, can't he?" Haru asked in despair.

"Sweetheart, he'll never be able to walk again."

"If I broke both of my legs, would you kill me?"

"No! No, it's different."

"How?" Haru demanded, finally able to channel her anguish into something other than sorrow and finding refuge in the adrenaline-surge of anger. "How is it different?"

"Well... he doesn't have family like you do to look after him..."

"He has us," Haru said fiercely, picking up the same tone Louise often used when she was particularly adamant about something. "We're his family."

"Haru, for horses, running is a need. If we left him crippled he would be miserable."

"He'll be even more miserable if you kill him."

"Putting him down. We're putting him down," Naoko sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Same thing! Does it make it any more right that you put it a different way?"

"No, not really, but you have to understand–"

"No I don't. I don't need to understand! Let me go and see him! I..."

"What could you do?"

"I..." For a moment, Haru was stumped. "I... could heal him! I could heal him so his legs would work again!"

"Not even the vet could do that."

"I could! I..." Haru cut herself off and looked miserably down at her feet. Her reluctance to let her mother know she still remembered that incident four years ago crippled her sentence, sending her into silence. She knew she could, if she could just get her magic to work again – to do something apart from make her a cat-speaker. She brought her eyes up to her mother. "Let me see him," she said eventually.

"He's a mess; he's in pain. You wouldn't want–"

"He's not going to die!" screamed Haru and she fled out the room.

"No, Haru!"

Something close to desperation must have aided her feet, because she managed to make it down to the forest path where the trunk and Taro lay, somehow losing her mother in the process. No one had attempted to move Taro, but even now there was a crowd around the poor creature. The stable-master with several of the stable lads were watching, along with Haru's step-father, and the vet was kneeling beside the horse. But Haru paid little attention to the people, her eyes only focused on the creature she had grown up with; the creature that had gone through life on the streets with her and had been the closest thing to a friend she had experienced in her early years.

"I'm sorry, Mr DuBois, there is nothing that can be done," the vet was saying sadly. "I said it once, and I'll say it again – the best thing to be done would be to put the poor animal out of his misery."

Haru felt a familiar wave of anger course through her at the man's words. He was suggesting they should kill Taro? That he wasn't worth treating?

On feeling the surge of dangerous anger, she quickly repeated Yuki's old words to herself; '_Breathe in, breathe out_._ Take a breath, take a moment and think calmly_.' Tears rose up in her eyes, banishing the anger. Moving forward, she knelt beside the crippled form of Taro. He brought up his head; his wide, ocean deep eyes meeting her eyes. She let her head fall forward; forehead meeting forehead, and breathed in the familiar, soothing, horsey smell of hay and fur beneath her.

Behind her, the vet moved to stop her sitting beside the creature, but Charles interrupted and signed for him to let the two be.

"I'm sorry," Haru whispered, salty tears mingling with the horsey smell. "It's all my fault." She tried to summon the magic she knew she possessed inside her, but nothing would come. And she didn't know how to heal with that magic anyway; all she knew was how to hurt. How to kill.

The memory of the fall returned to her, making her shake with the fear and pain it brought. She remembered how Taro had tried to return to his feet, only to collapse back down to the ground when his legs wouldn't support him. She remembered Louise's shrill screeches that had brought the occupants of the manor to their location; how people had gasped in pity for the creature before her when seeing the state it was in. She remembered how terror on her part had hindered her ability to get up. She remembered how Taro's eyes had rolled in fright and how his own human screams had sent shivers through her body. Now he seemed to have accepted the truth.

"I'm sorry I can't help you," she murmured. "Mum was right; I can't do anything to make you get better. What use is this magic if I can't help someone in pain?"

The horse weakly nuzzled her as if trying to comfort her, and Haru's body shook with the force of her crying as silent tears streamed down her face. She thought of all the memories that would never be formed now; all the lost moments that would never happen now. "How selfish," she said to him. "I don't cry for you, but for the loss that is going to befall me. You should be ashamed of me."

A tired whinny was Taro's reply; it sounded almost like he was telling her it was alright to cry.

"When someone is in that much pain, the kindest thing is to let them pass away to a happier place," Haru whispered, her mother's words from earlier returning to her. "How is it possible that could be true? How can such a cruel deed be a kindness?"

She gazed into Taro's old, deep brown eyes; his eyes, to Haru, representing the colour of wilderness. The colour of the forest; of coarse, wooden bark and century-old trees. The colour of ancient wisdom. And, although Haru was still struggling with her understanding, she began to accept what would have to be done.

"You don't want to spend the rest of your life boxed up, unable to run, do you?" New tears rose up. "You don't deserve a half-life like that; you deserve to be free. But you won't ever be able to run if you stay here."

She felt her magic rise in her unconsciously and wasn't able to push it back.

'_I was the one to start this; I should be the one to end it_,' she told herself. '_I won't have a stranger doing this for me. This is my responsibility._' And with that, she felt herself finally face what was going to have to be done.

She had thought to herself earlier how her magic only knew how to kill... maybe she could tailor that. She let her forehead rest against Taro's forehead, feeling his cool pulse beneath her and letting it calm her frenzied heart. She had only ever used her magic when she was upset, but she was going to try to challenge that.

She felt with her magic the weak beat of Taro's life-force struggling to remain alit, but she could sense that Taro was giving up.

"Goodbye, old friend," she whispered lovingly. "I hope you find yourself in a better place. Somewhere where you can run once again. I'm sorry for what I've done."

She opened her eyes, staring once again into Taro's and, for just a second marvelled at the miracle of what is called life; how it can make eyes sparkle and hold so much emotion. Then, still using her magic, she stopped that wonderful state called life and watched the fire in Taro's eyes dwindle and fade, but the depth in them still remained.

Haru continued to kneel beside the now lifeless form, unable to move her legs as emotions weighed her entire body down. She could only stay there, frozen with her forehead against his, gazing into those empty orbs.

"Don't forget me," she spoke gently in a final farewell, "because I won't forget you."


	8. Unlucky Thirteen

Chapter 8: Unlucky Thirteen

"What about the theatre? Do you want to go there?"

Haru turned her head away.

Louise picked her dress up and moved round so Haru couldn't continue looking away. "O-or the opera? Maybe the ballet? We could even–"

"Enough!" snapped Haru.

Louise brought her mouth to a close, uttering a short, "Oh."

"I don't want to go out, and that's that."

"Haru, it's been six months since..."

"I'm fine about it," lied the brunette. "I just don't feel like celebrating my birthday."

Louise mock-pouted, but even that couldn't hide the worry in the blonde's eyes. "This day only happens once a year and..."

"I don't see how it's any different from every other day of the year," muttered Haru rebelliously.

"Of course it's different," insisted Louise fiercely, punching Haru unladylike on the shoulder, as if reprimanding her for her words. "We're celebrating the day you came into the world!"

"It's not like I'm important or anything," Haru continued to mutter. "I haven't done anything worth celebrating and I doubt I ever–"

"Haru DuBois!" snapped Louise, imitating Naoko with uncanny perfection. "How dare you say that? You probably will go on and do great things – you'll invent something great or discover something or... or..."

"Or fade into obscurity..."

Louise glowered at her sister. "Oh, really. Come on, even if you don't do something that ends up putting you into the history books, you're important to the rest of us. And one day there'll be a special someone who will value you over life itself."

Haru snorted. "What guy would like me?"

"Hey, we're only young. I don't mean right this second, but... one day," she said, somewhat dreamily.

"One day?" Haru repeated doubtfully.

To this, Louise nodded confidently and repeated, "One day. You'll see." After Haru failed to say anything, Louise added, returning to the original subject, "Why do you think I'm dressed up this fancy-dress costume if we're not going to be celebrating something?" She tugged at the overly extravagant dress that she had been trailing round in ever since trying to get Haru to agree to go somewhere for her birthday. "Dad is waiting for you to make up your mind."

Haru sighed. "Okay, okay. We can go somewhere."

"Yes! Okay, where do you want to go?"

"I don't care. You choose."

"No, it's your day. Make a choice."

"I said I don't–"

Louise waved Haru's words away as if they were irrelevant. "Theatre? Ballet? Opera? A picnic? A walk? Trip to the seaside? A trip to the market place? A–"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't drown me in options."

"So you've chosen where you want to go?"

"Nope."

"But–"

"Alright, I'll make up my mind then if it'll make you happy. The theatre," Haru said dismissively.

"Good! I'll go and tell Dad!" Louise disappeared out, then returned a few seconds later, peering round the door. "By the way, you might want to change into something nice."

"I _am_ wearing something nice!" protested Haru, folding her arms in a disgruntled manner across her simple blue dress.

"You know what I mean," tutted Louise in an exasperated fashion. "Something _fancy_."

"What, like the clown outfit you're wearing?"

Louise laughed. "Yeah, something close."

Haru sighed and sat down on her bed as Louise disappeared out, this time actually making her way down to her father. She collapsed on her back, staring up at the ceiling in a desolate way. "Why do I get the feeling this is only going to go badly?" she wondered aloud before rolling over onto her feet to raid her wardrobe.

"I hate dressing up fancy, everyone knows that," she continued to grumble as she waded through elaborate, expensive dresses. "Perhaps I should have chosen something like going to the seaside; at least I wouldn't have to dress up like this then." She contemplated running and telling Louise she'd changed her mind, then shook the thought away. Eventually she pulled down a blue dress that reminded her of the flower-girl dress she'd worn all those years ago, on the day she officially became a member of the DuBois family. She smoothed it out on her bed, giving it a critical look-over. Yes, it was like the flower dress – she suspected that was why she had asked for it at the time – although it was heavy with under-layers and petticoats and suchlike. But she expected that the rest of the family would be wearing similar attire so she quit her complaints and slipped it on.

"Thank goodness I'm not expected to wear a corset yet," she muttered to herself as she attempted to string up the lace at the back of the dress. "I think I would probably be ready to murder someone after fitting it on and everything."

"It's just as well you'd only have to wear one for public occasions then, isn't it?" a familiar voice asked from the doorway. "We'd hate to have a mass-murderer in the family."

Haru chuckled lightly. "Funny, real funny."

She suddenly felt the lace being taken out of her hands and being strung expertly at the back of the dress.

"Thanks, Lou."

"You're welcome. You looked like you were struggling a bit."

"Ha, no kidding. So, what does everyone think?"

"About the theatre? They all think it's a grand idea."

Haru picked up the butterfly necklace from her bedside table, gently feeling it between her fingers. Her mother had given it to her after the wedding on seeing how much the brunette had become attached to it. On the bedside table lay several items of emotional value to Haru – the butterfly necklace for one, a jay feather Louise had found in the forest and had allowed Haru to keep on seeing Haru's fascination with the pretty feather, and a small pouch, with only a few innocent-looking hairs. Hairs that had been clipped from Taro's mane and kept in the pouch as a last reminder of the companion she'd lost only six months ago. She was better about it now, but somehow the event had silenced her to the point that strangers asked whether she was born mute. Around her family she was almost back to normal though.

Almost.

Haru clipped the necklace around her neck, the usual reassurance accompanying the cool metal resting against her skin.

"Do I look okay?"

"Okay? You look brilliant!" laughed Louise. She grabbed her sister's shoulders and forced her to stand before the full-length mirror that they shared. "Take a look at yourself!"

Haru grinned shyly at her reflection, which returned the smile equally timidly. She smoothed the front of her dress almost instinctively in her embarrassment, but had to admit that she wasn't half-bad looking.

At this statement, Louise only laughed louder. "Not half-bad?" she repeated. "You look fantastic."

"You're just saying that."

"Would I lie to you about such a thing?"

"Yes," Haru replied instantly.

Louise shrugged; a cheeky, lop-sided grin on her face. "Yeah, well... it doesn't change the fact that you look great."

Haru smiled over at her sister – she no longer considered her a "step"-sister, but a full sister – and turned back to her reflection. Yes, she did look quite nice, she thought, although this time she didn't voice the thought out loud. It appeared she didn't need to anyway, since her expression apparently spoke volumes.

"See?" said Louise, although slightly gentler this time. "Not bad for a recently-turned thirteen-year-old."

Haru laughed lightly again. "So I've hit the teens now?"

"You do not have my permission to turn into a moody teenager," scolded Louise playfully. "At least, not until I reach thirteen, then we can both be moody teenagers together."

"Our parents will be _so_ pleased," Haru said flatly.

"Won't they just?"

"I have trouble imagining you as moody though."

"Ah, you'll see. In a couple of years I'll be all moody and sour-faced and covered in spots–" Louise ducked at that point as Haru lumbered across the room in her restricting dress, trying to bat her sister.

"I have _not_ got spots!"

"Not yet."

"I can't wait to see your expression when you get spots," muttered Haru, her spirits joyfully raised since earlier. "You'll be in _hysterics_."

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Will not."

Haru just stuck out her tongue as a response this time. "Will too."

"That is hardly ladylike behaviour, Haru," tutted a maternal voice from the door.

Haru closed her mouth. "I know."

From beside Naoko, Charles arrived. "Oh, let them mess about, Naoko. It won't be long before our little girls are all grown up and moving on in the world. Haru's already reaching the start of her teenage years."

Naoko gave a dry chuckle. "I can only hope she is less rebellious than I was at her age otherwise we are in for one bumpy ride."

"If she turns out like you, it'll all be worth it." Charles kissed his wife's cheek, earning a chorus of "Gross!" from Louise and Haru. They giggled behind their hands, receiving a humorous glare from their father.

"Just you wait, girls. Soon you'll be chasing after boys."

"There's a difference between boys and watching our parents kiss," pointed out Louise cheekily.

Charles opened his mouth to argue back with his daughter, but Naoko batted at his arm. "Not now, Charles. I was hoping to give our announcement soon."

"Oh, yes." Charles' bright blue eyes twinkled merrily. "Have you two noticed anything different about your mother recently?"

"She's been getting moodier?"

"No, Louise, believe it or not, that _wasn't_ what I was talking about."

"She's been eating more fruit?" Haru suggested. When the two adults turned to look at her, surprised, she added, "When we went on that picnic, all she would eat was apples... and she's been putting vinegar on everything..." She reddened when they both laughed. "It was just a suggestion..."

"No, no, it's not that. It's just you're getting close to the truth."

"Let me deal with this Charles; you're hopeless at delivering news."

Charles rolled his eyes. "Charming."

Naoko knelt down, putting an arm around both her children. "I have been eating more fruit and I have had a more... interesting diet recently, but that's because of a particular reason. We've been to the doctors to consult them and, well..."

"You're going to be big sisters!" blurted out the man by her side, unable to keep it in for any longer.

Naoko glared at her husband. "I wanted to tell them."

He grinned and guiltily rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, yeah."

"I had been going to say: how do you feel about the idea of having a younger sibling?"

"My way was more direct," Charles said, shrugging.

"Hopeless."

"You love me really."

"I don't know why."

Louise and Haru were staring at each other. The thought that they'd have a sibling that was related to both of them, linking them by another bond, was almost impossible to take in.

"Big sisters?" Louise finally repeated.

Naoko and Charles stopped their good-natured bickering and turned to their astounded daughters.

"Yes. What do you say to that?"

"Is it a girl or a boy?" Haru asked immediately once she regained control over her voice. Her voice still quavered a little with the residue shock.

"We don't know. We want it to be a surprise."

"I hope it's a sister," said Louise confidently. "We could hand down stuff to her and teach her all sorts of stuff."

"Stuff?" echoed Naoko curiously.

"Like teaching her how to... um..."

"Annoy you two," suggested Haru, getting caught up in the exhilaration of the moment.

"Yes! We could teach her how to annoy you two!"

Naoko sighed. "I'm not sure whether to be worried or sorry for the poor child for having the two of you as role models."

"I think you mean, happy," Charles offered.

"Have you thought of names?"

"We've been going through a few names, yes. Have you got any ideas?"

"Elizabeth? Rose? Lily? Katherine... then we could call her Kate! Um..."

Their father chuckled. "Hold your horses, princess. We don't know whether it's going to be a boy or a girl yet. What about a few boy names?"

Louise pouted. "Well, it's _obviously_ a girl," she muttered, having now taking in the idea and stubbornly keeping hold of it. "So I don't see much point in thinking of boy names..."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"I can just tell. It's a feeling."

"Oh, okay. But can you think of any boy names, all the same?"

"Edward? We could call him Eddie then..." Louise considered it, then shook her head. "No, definitely not. Um..."

"Louis, maybe?" teased Charles.

"Certainly not! You're not giving my name to a boy! Um... what about Charlie then?"

"Hm, I'd like that. A mini-me."

"What a horrifying thought," Naoko commented dryly.

"Hey, I was _adorable_ as a child!"

"Sure, and all the stories your relatives told at the wedding reception weren't true in the least then..."

Charles actually reddened at that point, but lost none of his humour. "Ah, well, no one could ever _prove_ that I was the cause of the noodle incident..."

Haru had been thinking about names, when Louise elbowed her, knocking her out of her thoughts. "Have you got any name ideas?"

"Humbert?" Haru suggested without thinking.

Louise giggled. "That's a strange name."

'_Well so is Haru_,' Haru added mentally. She shook her head; she had forgotten that memory until then. Strange that it should come back just now...

"What's a strange name?" Naoko asked pleasantly.

"Humbert. Haru just suggested it."

Haru watched her mother's expression, to see if she remembered that incident that happened eight or so years ago. If she was to take Naoko's expression as any indication, it appeared it didn't ring any bells. "Not that strange really. What do you think, Charles?"

"Humbert? I'm not sure. It sounds quite old fashioned."

'_You sound like my grandfather_.' Haru shook her head again, remembering another vague piece of dialogue from that coincidental meeting.

"I'm not sure whether our son – if it is a son–" he added before Louise could interrupt, "would thank us for it."

"We'll put it on the list though, won't we?"

"Oh, sure, it'll go on the list. Right next to Egbert and Montgomery."

"Stop teasing, Charles, or I'll take full control over the name issue."

"You would never do such a thing!"

"Try me."

There was a polite knocking at the door.

"Yes?" both the adults chorused.

An either highly amused or highly worried butler stood knocking at the door. It was a little hard to tell with the poker face he was perfecting. "If sir and madam would like to forgo their usual squabbling, there is the coach outside waiting to go to the theatre." A ghost of a smile slipped across his face. "If you would prefer to continue, I can always tell the driver to do a few laps around the driveway..."

"Thank you, Albert, but that won't be necessary." Charles stopped. "Albert!" he suddenly cried.

"Yes, sir?"

"No, I didn't mean you," he scoffed, waving the faintly bemused butler away. He turned to Naoko. "We could name our son Albert!"

The redhead just rolled her eyes. "Oh boy, I can see it's going to be one of those days..."

ooOoo

"So did you enjoy the play?"

Haru yawned and leant against her mother as the carriage rattled underneath them. "It was good. A little lengthy, but good."

Naoko laughed. "Are you tired out from it all already?"

"Oh, I can see she is," teased Charles. "She'll have to go straight to bed when she gets home."

Haru muffled another yawn. "Oh, very funny. I'm not tired, I'm just..."

"Dozy."

"No, I'm just..."

"Sleepy."

"No, I'm just..."

"Lethargic."

Haru glared at her step-father.

Charles just grinned back. "I can do this all day, you know."

"You could let me finish the sentence..."

"Okay, what were you going to say then?"

Haru opened, then closed her mouth. "Shoot, I've forgotten."

Charles just laughed.

Louise was leaning out of the carriage window, letting the wind whip her blonde hair away from her face. "Hey, Haru, take a look outside."

Haru got up from her seat beside her mother to peer out of the window, her hands leaning on the frame for balance.

"Careful, girls."

Haru allowed herself to giggle as she watched the ground racing beneath her. "We are being careful," she insisted; her words being swept away from her as soon as they left her mouth. She leant further out, peering round to the front of the carriage.

"You'll get motion sickness," Naoko warned her daughter idly, as if knowing that her warning would go unheeded.

The carriage moved to an older part of the path and suddenly the road gave way to rickety paving stones. "I'll b-b-be f-f-fine..." Haru stuttered as the carriage rocked dangerously, coming up to a bridge.

"No you won't. Get back inside. Both of you."

Louise reluctantly withdrew her head back inside the carriage, but Haru continued to stare.

"Haru, I said get your head–"

"There's another carriage coming," Haru said suddenly.

"So what–"

"It's coming the opposite way and it doesn't look like it's going to be slowing down–"

Naoko tugged Haru's sleeve. "Haru, get your head inside then..."

The carriage came up to the bridge; the two coaches were going to be meeting one another at that point. Haru only leaned further out as their carriage made it onto the bridge first. "Mum, the bridge isn't wide enough for both of the carriages to–"

The owner of the second carriage must have assumed they could get across even with the DuBois coach on the bridge, for suddenly the DuBois carriage was rocked and Haru's hand slipped and knocked the door open. She was thrown out and found herself struggling in the freezing river water below. She was treading water, only just keeping her head above the water; unable to take in anything else apart from the monstrous grip the river current carried her in. She was being swept further downstream; further away from the bridge and her family, and now her dress – the one heavy with petticoats and under-layers – weighed her down. Her screams for help were cut off as icy-water filled her mouth, her senses.

Her saturated clothes dragged her further down into the water, until the surface was just a distant film far above. She was still being carried along the river's flow, but the desperation was slowly draining from her as she saw no way to return to the surface.

'_It's... so peaceful..._' she thought listlessly. Her lungs were screaming, but somehow, her mind had distanced itself from that. Somewhere along the line, she forgot to care.

Just as consciousness began to fade and she totally gave up hope, strong arms appeared around her waist and feet kicked off from the riverbed and she was suddenly gasping for air. Wonderful, fresh air. After a few strokes they had reached the shore and Haru found herself blinking in the harsh reality of day, still weak and shivering.

"Hey, you're safe now," a gentle, lilting voice soothed. "You're okay."

Haru was shaking; clutching the arms of the stranger for much-needed support. Her beautiful dress was a mess; the original blue colour was muddied and stained and the hem was torn and shredded by its journey through the river. Her butterfly necklace – which she had placed so carefully on only earlier that day – was broken at the latch and had fallen to the ground. But she pushed those thoughts aside as a newer, more urgent, thought emerged. She staggered to her feet, her eyes still not focusing on the stranger, only for the stranger to catch her when she stumbled.

"You need to be careful," the stranger said, his grip firm but surprisingly gentle.

"My... my family," Haru stuttered. "Wha–?"

The stranger's grip tightened. "You were on that carriage that overturned into the river, weren't you?"

"I was in a... in a carriage, yes." Haru turned haunted eyes out to the river. "Which carriage fell in?"

"There were two on the bridge; the slower of the two was knocked into the river."

"No..." Haru struggled weakly to break the stranger's grip. "No, let go! I need to go and find them..."

"There's nothing you can do!"

"I need to go! I need to find them!" Haru slipped back down to the ground, sobbing painfully. "I need... I need..." She felt strong arms pull her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "The carriage was smashed when it hit the river... three bodies from the inside of it have been found... no one survived..."

Haru's shoulders were shaking with the effort of controlling her sobbing. "No... no, you've got to be... you've got to be mistaken... They... they can't be..."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The soaked, emotionally-wrecked teenager pulled away from the embrace to see just who had saved her. He was only a boy several years older than her, with tawny hair and eyes of the brightest green. His clothes had probably been smart and expensive before he had jumped in to drag her out of the river. But she barely considered this; only tried once again to get to her feet.

"Why me?" she choked. "Why did you save me and not Lou? She- she deserved to be saved more than me; I–"

To her surprise, the stranger's hold on her wrists tensed. "You shouldn't talk like that. I didn't have time to think about the choice; I'm glad I was able to save at least one person."

Anger at her inability to save her family, angry at the loss, angry at the stranger who had chosen her over the rest of her family; she felt her hands stiffen into fists against the stranger's chest. "Leave me alone!" she snapped and snatched her necklace off the ground.

However the stranger still showed concern for her. "Wait, you need to go to a doctor. You've just been in the river – we need to get you–"

"I'm fine," Haru growled, the desire to flee growing stronger with every moment as her anger followed suit. "Release me."

"I'm worried for you. Please, let me help you get to a doctor..."

"Please. Leave. Me. ALONE!" With her last word, her hands splayed against the stranger's chest and her magic fired into him, sending him flying back.

Unable to believe what she'd just done, she stared over at the now unconscious youth. "No... I didn't- I didn't mean..."

Her head snapped up when she heard other people approaching.

"Oh..." Before she could think of a suitable curse she had staggered to her feet and was running away from the river. _'Maybe he was wrong... maybe he was wrong..._' she chanted to herself. '_Maybe... maybe Lou or Mum or Dad did survive..._'

A tear was torn from her eye as she felt it in her heart that she was living a false hope. The stranger had said three bodies had been recovered from the inside of the carriage. That left no room for doubt. If... if she hadn't been leaning out of the window and had been thrown out, would there have been four bodies?

Gasping, she collapsed behind a tree, sparing one last glance to the stranger who had saved her. '_If my magic can only be consciously used to make me a cat-speaker, what have I done?_'

Her feet were leading her further and further away from the home she'd had for the past five years. She couldn't look back, she couldn't return. Not now. Not with her family gone.

'_What have I done?_'

**ooOoo**

**A/N: ****Please don't kill me! (I seem to be asking this increasingly frequently nowadays...) I know a LOT (and I mean, A LOT) of you were hoping for sibling rivallry over a particular baron, but this is the direction the story insisted on. However, I have now stored away the sibling rivallry idea and you may see it in a later 'fic, as it's such a gem of a concept.**

**P.S. Please, _please_ don't kill me...**

**Cat.**


	9. Pickpocket

Chapter 9: Pickpocket

"That's my final offer."

Haru's grip on the necklace tightened. Pulling the thin cloak that barely kept out the winter cold closer around her shoulders, she leaned over the counter. "Please, I _need_ this money."

She kept her gaze steady on the man before her who could only be described as "seedy", trying not to gag on the alcohol-saturated breath. He only smiled toothily at her and peered closer at the butterfly necklace.

"Final price."

"The stones are sapphires," Haru growled. "_One_ of those stones alone has got to be worth more than your entire price."

"But you're not really in a position to bargain, are you, _sweetie_?" he asked greasily, sparing a somewhat disdainful look over the young brunette's ragged attire that spoke of several months on the streets.

Haru's fingers curled tersely on the wooden desk. "Firstly," she stated in a low, impatient voice, "I don't like being called _sweetie_, and secondly, you either raise the price or you're not going to get this."

His greasy smile returned. "When was the last time you properly ate, _sweetie_? No time recently, I'll reckon."

Haru bit down on the pangs of hunger and tried not to think how easy it'd be for her anger and desperation to get the better of her. "You can reckon all you want, _mister_, but I won't be duped into accepting anything less than double your final offer."

He didn't stop smiling. "So I suppose you'll be going hungry for one more night then, won't you?"

She growled and turned away to leave.

"I know your type," he called. "Orphaned or abandoned, living on the streets with nothing but your stolen goods to keep you afloat. You'll be back in a few days singing a very different tune."

The brunette closed her eyes briefly, ignoring the urge to let her anger take over. Instead, she only whispered to herself, "You have no idea of my type."

ooOoo

"_A butterfly?"_

"_Yes, a butterfly. It starts life as just a simple caterpillar, but when it undergoes change, it turns into the prettiest butterfly of all. But first it has to be a caterpillar and then a cocoon before its potential becomes clear."_

"_Why are you telling me this?"_

"_I'm telling you this because you're like the butterfly, but you're stuck in the caterpillar stage. Just wait; someone will someday teach you to fly."_

Haru let her head fall into her hands; the butterfly necklace pressing into her forehead. "You lied," she whispered. "Mum, you lied. I'm not the butterfly; I'm the moth. Everything I touch, I destroy."

She had been living on the streets for several months since the accident that had killed her entire family. She had originally gone back to the DuBois mansion, even if she found herself unable to cope with all the memories it brought. But she had stayed, knowing the only other option was to live on the streets.

And then the lawyers had arrived.

If Haru was a moth, they were locusts. Feeding off it all; using clauses and sub-clauses and small print to explain why the mansion was no longer her home – she wasn't a blood relative of Charles DuBois, she was underage, he hadn't explained it strictly in his will (Haru had only been able to guess that he hadn't expected Naoko to perish when he did). But all these explanations just totalled to the one big fat fact that she could no longer call the DuBois mansion her home. Despite the numerous relatives that Charles had, it seemed that his parents were no longer around and so it had been passed onto a relative – some brother of his that Haru had never met – and it had been sold.

Haru had been able to gather a few prize possessions together and had changed into something a little less conspicuous. She had taken some money, hoping to find some way of earning an income, but no one had wanted to take in the young brunette and once again she had found herself on the streets, just another scrawny teenager struggling for a living.

Just another scrawny teenager struggling for a living in a world that didn't care.

She continued to turn the necklace over in her hands, watching the sunlight glitter off the azure stones in the wings. Slowly, all her money had been ground away and now the only item of worth she had left was the precious necklace. The thought of selling it was unbearable, but starving to death on the streets was yet worse. And with winter gathering quickly, it wouldn't be long before her thin cloak wouldn't be enough to keep out the night chill.

"And once I sell you, what then?" she murmured to the glittering butterfly. "I survive for just a little longer before coming to the same impasse? What then?"

She closed her eyes. That merchant had been right – it would only be a matter of time before she would have to sell it, no matter the price. She would have to sell unless she wanted to starve.

"_When someone is in that much pain, the kindest thing is to let them pass away to a happier place."_

"But that would just be like giving up, wouldn't it, Mum?" whispered Haru. "I'm sure you'd agree with that. But... you're not here anymore. How am I meant to get through this by myself?"

She had been holding the necklace loosely in her grip now, distracted by her thoughts, and the glittering gems must have attracted someone's attention because suddenly she felt it snatched out of her grasp. Her head snapped up in the same moment she instinctively jumped to her feet to see another girl around her age fleeing with it.

"Hey! No! That's mine!" Haru shouted, her feet starting into a run. Unsurprisingly, the thief didn't stop – Haru would have been mightily astounded if she had – and Haru found herself sprinting after the girl.

'_Can't go hungry another day,_' Haru thought desperately to herself. '_Every day I go without a meal is a day I become weaker._

'_And this world doesn't pity the weak_.'

The thief snatched a glance around; her short brown hair flying in all directions, and on seeing Haru following in hot pursuit, she snapped her head back around.

"Dammit, she's fast."

Meanwhile Haru was thanking whoever she had inherited the long legs from – despite her recently sheltered life she had always been a good runner – and found herself slowly catching up with the girl. However, even with her height advantage, Haru had been going without proper food for several days. She was running on already drained reserves. Energy she had tried to save until she was able to find a reliable source of food or income was being mercilessly bled dry. As the chase lengthened she realised that if she failed to recover the necklace she would be lucky to survive through her first winter on the streets.

The shorter brunette glanced around again, to see she hadn't yet lost her pursuer.

"Time to step this up a notch."

She wove between market stalls, using her size to her advantage to try to outmanoeuvre Haru. As Haru tired she started to stumble around and over stalls, but still managed to keep the thief in her sights. The other girl leapt over a low fence with the ease of practice; Haru skidded to a stop when she came to the same fence. She regarded it with mild disgust as she saw she had no chance of clearing it in her current state. She peered along the fence and sprinted along that until she came to an opening and sped through that; hoping that – miraculously – she would find the thief again.

She came to an alleyway-crossroad and on taking a quick look down the different alley-paths, she spotted a familiar head of brown.

The girl reached a run-down house and slipped though a gap in the door, which was hanging off the hinges. Haru reached the same door only about ten seconds later and without thinking, followed suit.

"I had a hard time throwing her off, but–"

Haru burst in at that point, cutting off anything the shorter brunette had been about to say. She froze at the door, realising with growing dread that the thief wasn't alone. There were several other teenagers and children, all with the same scraggly appearance of the thief. The person who appeared to be the leader – the only adult – stared for a few moments at the thirteen-year-old before asking, "How did you keep up?"

"Long legs," Haru gasped without thinking. "Long legs and desperation." She leant back against the unstable door, trying to regain her breath. "Could I have the necklace back?" She doubted it was going to work, but she might as well try being straight-forward here.

"What's your name?"

"Haru..." Haru hesitated. "Just Haru."

"Okay then, "Just Haru," when was the last time you ate?"

"Long enough," the brunette responded carefully. Her eyes flicked between the other girl and the man.

"And you still managed to keep up with Hiromi?"

Haru supposed Hiromi was the lighter brunette. She shrugged cautiously. "Like I said; the long legs and desperation helped."

"What brought you onto the streets?"

Haru bit back a sardonic remark, only holding her head a little higher. "My mother lived on the streets; she sold some products to keep us afloat, but last summer she was killed in an accident. That's all it is."

"And where did this–" the man took the necklace off Hiromi and hovered it before Haru "–little gem come from?"

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean."

The man chuckled. "I'm not going to report you for thieving, little lady. Now tell me, where did this come from?"

Haru hesitated. "It fell off a stall," she lied. In some ways it was easier than the truth.

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere."

"Can I have it back?" she asked impatiently. She didn't have the time to be tactful and she certainly didn't have the patience right now. She didn't know what the man was getting at and she didn't really care.

"I... think not."

"Please, _sir_," Haru growled. "I have no other way of getting food. I will starve this winter if I don't soon find a way of earning money."

"What skills do you have, Haru?"

The brunette was really beginning to lose her patience. "Does it really matter? I'm... I'm fast, I suppose."

"And agile? There's no use being quick on your feet if you're not agile."

Haru found the comment slightly unusual, but with a raised eyebrow she slowly nodded, saying, "I suppose... I'm pretty agile... yes."

The man grinned and turned to the other girl. "Hey, Hiromi, I think I've found you a new friend." He grinned at Haru and dramatically swept his hat off his head in a mocking imitation of a gentleman. "Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier – I'm Oscar. Just Oscar."

Haru glanced to the door. "I don't get what you want of me, sir."

"It's simple – I take kids off the streets and give then a living that will enable them to survive out there."

"Like stealing?"

"I never said the living was an honest one."

"You teach children how to thieve," Haru said flatly.

"And currently they're looking a lot better fed than you do."

"You're a crook."

"Those children would be starving on the streets if I wasn't here. Now, you proved your worth when you managed to keep up with Hiromi, so I'm willing to take you under my wing. Or would you rather go back to living on the streets?"

ooOoo

"I'm still not sure about this."

Hiromi looked over at her friend and scoffed. "Haru, you've been doing this for two years now – what aren't you sure about? Are you still worried about the ethics?"

Now it was Haru's turn to scoff. "No. It's either they lose a few pounds or we starve. It can't get much more ethical than that. It's just..." she paused while she tied back her hair, "that this town has become wary of us for a while now. I'm thinking maybe we should move on to another town soon."

"That's for Oscar to decide."

Haru huffed. "I know, I know, it's just..." Her hair fell out of its bun and she sighed in frustration and hastily attempted to retie it. "Urgh, whatever. The people of this town are beginning to become suspicious of us and the warier they become the harder it is for us to get our job done. That's all I'm saying. It's–" She growled as her hair escaped its bun again. "Oh, this is ridiculous!"

Hiromi sighed sympathetically. "You should allow me to cut it for you. Long hair only gets in the way."

"I know..."

"I could borrow some scissors and bring your hair to about here," Hiromi said, motioning to Haru's jaw line.

"That short?"

"Or maybe I should only cut the hair that gets in your face to that length, and the hair at the back could be down to your shoulders instead."

"That sounds better."

"Hey, you two gossips! Stop chattering and get going!"

Haru and Hiromi jumped to their feet. "Yes sir!"

"Sheesh, Oscar's moody today," muttered Hiromi once they were out on the street. "Do you reckon he's under the weather or something?"

"Careful, he's got ears like an elephant."

"I heard that!"

Both girls jumped again, laughing as they went. When they had regained their breath, they slowed down and Haru looked to her friend. "What method do you want to use today?"

"Let's try the same one we used last Saturday – that one seems to work quite well. You can be the distraction."

"Why me?"

Hiromi pinched her friend's shoulder. "You can be the distraction because one, I'm smaller so people will pay less attention to me and two, you look like you might actually come from a respectable family."

"Hey, I resent that," Haru joked. "Anyway, as soon as I let you near my hair with scissors I'll lose that masquerade."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The two girls arrived in the market place and Haru wandered casually over to one of the stalls that sold expensive jewellery. At the age of fifteen now, Haru was still able to play the role of a young daughter of a rich merchant or something and, as Hiromi had said, she did look at times like a girl from a respectable family. Haru hadn't told Hiromi or anyone else of her five years as part of the DuBois family, and so it had been led to believe that she had picked up the look accidently.

"Good day, miss," the man behind the stall said politely. "Anything take your fancy?"

It still struck Haru as funny that as long as she looked presentable, people were always polite to her. She ignored the thought and slowly perused through his wares. "I'm just looking at the moment." She smiled innocently up at the man. "My mother's birthday is coming up and I'm looking for something for her." '_That's good_,' she noted to herself. '_Play the good-hearted daughter. It usually works._'

"Very well. What kind of gems does she like?"

"She likes sapphires and emeralds..." Haru said, trailing a finger along the jewellery with the aforementioned precious stones. Her finger suddenly paused as a brown gem caught her eye. She trailed her finger to the stone – the deep brown reminding her powerfully of Taro's eyes – and circled the gem thoughtfully. "What stone is this, sir?"

"Tiger's eye."

Haru smiled ironically to herself. "Yes, it would be."

"Are you wanting to purchase that one?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. No, I was just thinking; it reminded me of something. Um..." She saw Hiromi motioning for her to keep the shopkeeper's attention. "Anyway, I was saying that my mother liked sapphires... is it true that sapphires and rubies are just the same stone, but a different colour?"

The man smiled. "Well, it seems you know your facts. Have you heard about asterism?" He picked up a sapphire that seemed to have caught a white star inside it. "It's an optical illusion caused by certain impurities within the stone. Do you think your mother would like that stone?"

"Oh, it's so pretty," Haru gushed. "It looks like a star."

"They're called star sapphires for that reason. So, would you be interested in buying that one? You'll have to be careful though – there have been pickpockets around all week."

Haru smiled wanly to herself. "I'm aware of that, sir." A familiar hand tapped her shoulder. She saw Hiromi motioning for her to go. "I'm sorry sir – I'll have to come back and purchase it another time. My sister and I are in a hurry. I'll come back another time!" she called as she ran off along the road.

"Be careful, lass!"

"Thanks!" Once they had left the stall behind by several streets, both girls fell against a wall, laughing once again.

"Well," sighed Hiromi, "that was easy."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it? He didn't even notice you."

"That's because you were doing a good job being an adorable teenager."

Haru laughed. "Adorable and teenager... not two words I'd usually associate together."

"You seem to manage it pretty well."

"So, what did you get?"

"Just a few things." Hiromi brought out her bag and tipped out several pieces of jewellery. "They'll fetch a pretty price though. And there was you saying that the people of this town were getting suspicious."

"Better to be safe than sorry. That's all I'll say."

"Well, you can go and tell Oscar that."

"After the elephant comment earlier, do you think he'll listen?"

Hiromi grinned. "I doubt it, but – as you said before – better safe than sorry. Come on – we should get this stuff back to Oscar."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: I just wanted to leave a shout-out thank you to all you reviewers, especially the 'guest' reviewers who I cannot reply to. To _Anon_ and _Kaa_ in particular, whose reviews hit me hard and who reminded me why I write - when I hear that I have made an impact, it's one of the best feelings in the world (not to unakin to popping bubble wrap or having your ordered meal come early). **

**To _Anon,_ this story is already written up so, unfortunately, I'm not in a position to take suggestions for this story, although I'm always open to later story ideas. I am very glad that I managed to make, as you put it, 'an unlikable character lovable.' I do love Lou's character and it was no fun dropping her, but it felt important to the story. **

**And, to _Kaa_, I am a Whovian through-and-through; I guess it had an impact. If I ever decide to write Lou again, or just Louise in general, I may use Charles again. Only time will tell.**

**Many thanks,**

**Cat.**


	10. The Home of a Baron

Chapter 10: The Home of a Baron

An eighteen-year-old Haru swept herself onto the wall, balancing carefully as she glanced back down at the lighter brunette. "Hey, Hiromi; do you need a hand up?"

"I'm... fine..."

"Hiromi, if you're struggling it'll be easier if you just ask for help." Haru sighed and offered a hand. "Come on, we haven't got all night."

Hiromi glared at the offered hand; reluctant to admit she needed assistance, and allowed Haru to help her up onto the wall. "Right, you know what the plan is?"

The darker brunette just rolled her eyes. "Yes, Hiromi. Oscar only went over it a dozen times. Relax – when was the last time we got caught?"

"Never, but I don't want to start the habit now."

"And I thought I was the cautious one." Haru slipped over the other side of the wall, landing expertly on all fours and slowly straightened herself out. Hiromi jumped down after her, her landing only a little less elegantly.

"Please try not to be quite so heavy-footed," Haru muttered to her friend.

Hiromi made a sort of scoffing sound. "Just because you have feline grace..."

"Don't call it that."

"What? Is your ailurophobia acting up again?" teased Hiromi.

"You went out of your way to discover that word," muttered Haru.

"So what if I did? You _do_ have an unnatural fear of cats."

"Shuttup; that's not important right now," Haru hissed. She glanced over at the mansion before looking back at Hiromi.

"But you never did give any reason for avoiding cats–"

"It's personal, alright?"

"Alright, alright! Keep your hair on. Sheesh!"

Haru motioned for Hiromi to pipe down. "If you keep up that noise," she whispered, "we'll be caught before we've even got inside the mansion for sure. Now come on!" Ducking low, Haru sprinted across the grounds, making her way across various gardens and past greenhouses. She paused for a moment, looking across at the wall that gave way to a high hedge.

Hiromi looked back at her friend. "Hey, Haru, you're the one who said we shouldn't dilly-dally."

Haru shook her head then returned skirting across the grounds with Hiromi. "Sorry. I just had a déjà-vu moment there."

Hiromi gave a suppressed laugh. "I doubt you've been here before. I heard this is the home of a baron."

"I suppose you're right." Haru let a hand fall to her side and trail along the contours of the various flowers along the gardens. "We should be getting on anyway."

"Yeah, we should. Do you know how we're going to get into the mansion?"

"I'm sure the good baron will have left a window open or something."

Hiromi grinned. "And if one hasn't been left open, we can always open one ourselves, isn't that right?"

They arrived at the wall of the mansion, leaning against it in the shadows to keep themselves hidden. Haru looked up at the starry sky; the moon shining so to light up the grounds before them. "I knew we should have come on another night," Haru muttered. "It's almost a full moon tonight."

"I think Oscar said it was meant to be cloudy tonight."

"Well Oscar was wrong. And it's going to make our job a whole lot harder." Haru eased herself onto her knees so she could look through the large window behind them. "But it looks clear. We should be fine to enter by this one."

"Is it unlocked?"

Haru tried at the latch. "Doesn't appear to be. But, if I just..." She fiddled with the latch and a moment later, it sprung open. "Voilà."

"Does it look like anyone heard?"

"I don't think so. On to the next stage then." Haru quietly opened the window and slunk inside. "Okay, it seems all quiet here." Hiromi followed after the taller brunette, glancing nervously around.

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty. Come on – we need to work out where the silver is."

"Try the kitchens first."

"I know." They snuck along the corridor in the near midnight-darkness; Hiromi stared around the corridor having been unaccustomed to such a lifestyle. Haru, having lived in a similar house for five years, kept her focus on finding the right room instead. They found the kitchens quickly and started opening the drawers and cupboards.

"They don't seem to have much silver here," Hiromi whispered across to Haru.

"Try the drawing room," Haru suggested.

"On it. You try the lounge."

Haru nodded and crept out of the kitchen. She expertly skimmed the lounge, looking for anything of value. Her eyes rested on a small portrait on the mantelpiece. Ignoring the instinct to stay focused, she drifted over to the portrait and picked it off the mantelpiece.

The portrait looked quite old; the colours were faded slightly but the eyes were still a vivid green colour. The young boy in the photo couldn't have been much older than seven, but what stuck her most was...

"I know that face," she whispered. It had been eleven years, but still she recognised it. The eyes stood out more than anything... and suddenly she remembered the boy who saved her five years ago. Was it possible...?

She started to scan the other portraits on the mantelpiece and quickly found one of the boy – the same as before but fifteen in age. She paused, remembering the pain and anguish of that day, but now the guilt also came back. She wondered why she hadn't seen the resemblance between the boy who saved her and the seven-year-old Humbert she had once met instantly. But then, she hadn't been in a good mental state at the time...

"_No... No, let go! I need to go and find them..."_

"_There's nothing you can do!"_

"_I need to go! I need to find them! I need... I need..."_

Guilt she had repressed came flooding back and she began searching for another picture of the youth. But all records of the boy – could it really be Humbert? – after that period of time were gone. Nothing proved that the youth had lived beyond fifteen.

'_I couldn't... I couldn't have killed him... could I?_'

She closed her eyes; scared by the possibility.

'I _was upset... who knows what my magic did? And... and everything here suggests..._'

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming from the other room. She spun round, knocking over one of the portraits to the floor and shattering the glass.

Hiromi had just entered the other door, but she froze on hearing the smash. "Haru?"

Haru had also frozen; straining every muscle in an attempt to hear whether her mistake had awoken any of the occupants of the house. Several tense seconds ticked by.

"Oh... shoot, shoot, shoot," Haru whispered furiously once the initial shock had worn off.

Hiromi tip-toed to her friend. "It seems to have gone unnoticed. Have you found anything worth selling?"

"No. I'm starting to think this baron either keeps everything under lock and key or he just lives plainly."

"Uh-hm. Living plainly in a mansion like this," said Hiromi sceptically.

"The baron," Haru suddenly snapped, still whispering. "What do you know about him? Age? Appearance? Oscar must have told you some details."

"All he said was that the baron was a recluse. _Come on_, we haven't got time to talk about this." Hiromi tugged on Haru's sleeve, dragging her out of the room. "Let's just find something of value and skedaddle out of here. Where haven't we looked yet?"

"I don't know. Perhaps we should just leave without getting anything."

"Are you mad? Oscar would go mental."

"It's better than getting caught," Haru muttered back. "And... I don't feel all that well."

"Why didn't you say _before_ we came here?"

"I was okay then."

Hiromi hissed irritably between her teeth. "_Fine_. You stay here – no one seems to have been woken by your slip-up – and I'll come back and fetch you once I've found something. Then we can get out of here."

Haru nodded and Hiromi disappeared into another room, leaving Haru standing at the end of the hallway. A few metres away was the open window they'd used to get in originally. The knowledge that their escape was within running distance calmed Haru's wild heartbeat. Her senses were still on red alert, but Hiromi seemed to have been right about her little slip-up. Thank goodness no one had...

Haru stiffened as a light at the top of the stairs appeared. She pushed herself further against the wall, craving protection in the security of the shadows cast by the light. Maybe it was just someone sleepwalking or... or something. Maybe, as long as she remained quiet, her and Hiromi's presence would go unnoticed. She flicked her eyes to the room Hiromi had entered, but the other brunette was showing no signs of returning. She glanced back to the light at the top of the stairways and every muscle tightened yet more.

A shadow – presumably from the person upstairs – was being cast upon the wall. It was ultimately human in shape, but something wasn't... something just wasn't right.

"Hiromi," Haru whispered, terrified. "_Hiromi_!"

The shadow stiffened – but Haru had whispered carefully enough that no person should have been able to hear her.

Well, no _human_, anyway.

The shadow moved forward and now Haru could see the silhouette of the person. The light behind him cast his face into shadows, but it couldn't hide the fact that his face wasn't... normal.

But Haru had a very good idea what he would look like if he came into the light. That was, if her suspicions were right.

The man – for Haru guessed it was a man – moved forward and took a candle from the side – evidently the source of the light. The candle moved around and suddenly his face was thrown into sharp definition.

Haru couldn't stop herself.

She screamed.

The eyes were the same emerald green as before – hauntingly so – but everything else was unrecognisable. His face was hidden by a layer of tawny fur and the reason for his acute hearing became obvious as his ears – undeniably cat ears – were revealed.

He was part cat.

Her scream alerted Hiromi immediately, as well as just about every member of the household and suddenly Hiromi was dragging her friend away.

"Hiromi... Hiromi! Look!"

Haru felt the shorter brunette tense; telling her that Hiromi had spotted exactly what had made her scream.

"What on earth...?" Hiromi gasped. And then some survival instinct must have kicked in because then she was moving again, dragging Haru to the window. "Get going!"

Haru leapt out of the window and sped across the grounds; her last look into the hallway revealing the creature kneeling, as if in pain, while other people from the mansion flocked to the scene. Then Haru turned back around and carried on running, Hiromi close on her heels.

"Madness," she hissed. They came to the wall and clambered over it with none of the ease which they had done earlier, and were lost to the night.

ooOoo

In the mansion, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen brought himself slowly to his feet, helped by his friends who were all intent on capturing the two burglars. He only shook his head, silencing them with a look.

"Leave them," he murmured. "They'll be long gone by now."

One of his friends only growled in response – a large and rather round man. "Thieves," he muttered mutinously, looking as if he was quite ready to ignore the baron's comment. "They've probably nicked off with anything they could find."

The man on the baron's other side – a slighter and darker man in comparison – shook his head. "They looked as if they left pretty empty-handed, Muta. I shouldn't worry about that."

"Man, what a time for you to have another of your fits though, eh, Baron?" the man referred to as Muta said. "Right in the middle of a burglary. Are you okay now?"

The baron was rubbing a gloved hand over his face. "I know, I know. What's happened this time?"

The two men looked over their part-human friend. "Well, you've gained a lovely set of whiskers, Baron," the darker man commented. "I think that's all that has changed this time."

"Yeah, much less of a change than when you gained the tail!"

"Hey, furball, try to keep your helpful comments to yourself."

"Birdbrain," Muta just growled.

"Marshmallow."

The baron raised a tired hand. "Muta, Toto, now is not the time. We've had quite enough excitement for one night. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be retiring to bed."

He turned to go but a youth with the same dark features as Toto arrived. "What was the racket? Has something happened?"

Muta stormed past him, and returned upstairs. "Nothing, Machida. You just missed us getting burgled followed by another one of Baron's seizures."

Machida raised an eyebrow and turned to the other two once he had gone. "Was it something I said?"

"Sorry, Machida," apologised the baron tiredly. "You know what Muta's like."

"Was what he said true though? Have you had another seizure? What's changed this time?"

The baron only motioned to his whiskers. "I suppose I should count my blessings it was something as minimal as whiskers."

"... Quite," Machida finally said. He returned upstairs as quickly as he had arrived.

Toto turned to the baron. "Baron, are you okay to get back?"

The baron chuckled. "I'm not an invalid, Toto. I can walk."

"I know, Baron." They walked in silence until Toto broke it with, "How long do you think it'll be before you turn fully cat?"

"I try not to think about it. The fits are irregular – it could be next week, it could be in several years. It depends. I only thank the fact that right now I'm still the same height as you or Muta."

"Not quite as tall as me though, Baron," chuckled Toto in an attempt at humour. He was returned with an answering chuckle from his friend.

"No, not quite as tall as you. But if I was at proper cat height, it would make life even more awkward than it is currently."

"What do you plan to do when you've turned fully cat?"

"Toto, we've discussed this."

Toto turned his head away. "I still don't like it."

"When – not if, Toto, _when_, for it shall happen, so take that look off your face – I turn fully cat, I see no way in which I'll be able to run this place. I may not even be able to communicate with humans and so I shall hand this place over to my closest living relatives. And that would be my two cousins – you and Machida."

"I'm sure that even when you're fully cat you can–"

"No, Toto. A cat cannot run a mansion. When I do turn this place over to you and your brother at least there won't be a need for secrecy anymore." He sighed. "Everyone here has been living with this secret for too long."

"You cannot help what you are."

"No, but I cannot help regretting it either."

Toto gave his friend one last look. "Don't blame yourself, Baron. You've handled the last five years better than anyone could have expected. Maybe one day we'll find a cure to this... curse."

"Maybe."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: ****As at least some of you will be aware, (I hope...) I'm committing myself to another Christmas special, in the same kind of fashion as last year. And, as some of you may remember, last year I almost killed myself with my regular, my crossover _and_ my Christmas special, so this time I've learnt from my mistake.**

**-This story is going on hiatus-**

**Not for long! Just until the advent period is over, because I can't pull myself through what I did last year AND pass uni exams. I know you'll understand (I've said it before and I'll say it again - this fandom is one of the kindest, most considerate fandoms I've found) and I thank you for your continuing patience. **

**So this story will continue on _Friday 28th December._**

**Anyhow, tomorrow the first chapter of my Christmas Special: _A Little Ballerina_, is going up. I hope it makes you laugh, I hope it makes you cry, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. Inspiration was taken from a mixture of _The Steadfast Tin Soldier_ and _The Nutcracker _and I hope to put a new spin on a relatively common plotline.**

**Merry Christmas and God bless,**

**Catsafari.**


	11. Return

Chapter 11: Return

"Well, you could have TOLD ME he was a cat!" Haru yelled back, her voice loud enough to send several pigeons nesting at the top of the building scattering.

"I DIDN'T KNOW!" Oscar shouted back. "All I knew was that the baron was a recluse! But it was YOUR mistakes that almost ended in you getting caught! And if you had, you shouldn't expect us to help you out of whatever mess you get into! You'll be on your own."

"HALF CAT!" Haru roared back. "Half cat! How was I MEANT to react to that?! I could have done with some warning!"

"From the sound of what Hiromi told me, if you hadn't knocked over the picture, you would have got out safe without discovering the baron was half cat!"

Hiromi cringed as her name was thrown into the mix. Haru spared a glance to show that she didn't hold Hiromi responsible for her spat with Oscar. She turned back to the man, her gaze turning to stone. "It was a mistake."

"A beginner's mistake, yeah maybe. But you've been doing this for–"

"Five years. I _know_. And I can feel the impact of each and every year."

"If it wasn't for me–"

"I would have starved. Yes, Oscar, you've said that before!" snapped Haru. "You think I don't know that? I was only thirteen; I wasn't prepared for living on the streets by myself. I wasn't old enough to be independent. But I'm eighteen now; don't you think I'm a little too old for your lectures?"

"I would believe that if you acted like you knew what you were doing!"

"I knocked over a picture – okay, I was distracted. That was all!"

"You completely failed to get anything and now we're going to have to leave this town–"

"What?" Hiromi asked, butting in on the argument. "Leave?"

"Yes, leave. We were going to be anyway – you can't steal from such a high-ranking family and not expect them to look for the culprits."

"We didn't even take anything."

"Yes, but you _could_ have. But now we're going to have to move onto another town without a fresh supply of money to go on. The people round here are getting suspicious and an attempt on a baron's home will only reinforce that. No, we go tomorrow."

Haru's expression was darkening. "Alright, alright, I get it. I won't make the same mistake again."

"Good. Then you can try the mansion again."

"What?" Hiromi demanded. "Oscar, are you mad? She'll get caught for sure!"

"We need some cash and I need to know that Haru isn't going to mess up again. If she manages this, I'll know she hasn't lost her edge."

"This is ridiculous," Haru muttered.

"So are you rejecting the job?"

"No, I'll take up your stupid job. I won't let you hold my mistake over me."

"You'll go tonight then? We'll leave tomorrow morning – if you don't come back, we're leaving with or without you."

"I know; I get it. And yes, I will go tonight. I'll go alone this time though." Haru smiled over at her friend. "Sorry, Hiromi, but at least only one of us will get caught if something happens."

"Haru... you're terrified of cats..." her friend said, wide-eyed.

"Not... exactly."

ooOoo

Now the day had dawned, the occupants of the manor were checking the valuables to see if anything had been stolen. Talk of securing the windows from further thefts were discussed, although nothing had been done to ensure it yet. In the lounge, the baron leant down and picked up the smashed picture frame.

"I suppose that's what woke you up last night, right?" asked Toto, peering over his shoulder for a better look.

"I guess it must have been." He tugged the picture out of the frame and found himself smiling sadly at the little boy that had once been him. The little _human_ boy.

"Memories of a better time?" offered his friend quietly, perhaps sensing the contemplation of the baron.

"Memories of a _brighter_ time," the baron answered. "A time full of naive dreams and hopes." He placed the picture back upon the mantelpiece.

"We should get a new frame otherwise the colour will fade."

"The memory of such a time faded long ago, Toto," sighed the baron. "This is just a last remnant of a time long gone."

"You sound like you've given up hope."

"I don't seem to be able to do anything, Toto. I'm stuck in this mansion, barred from ever going out and..."

"The girl's reaction reminded you–"

"Of what the outside world would do if they discovered I existed," the baron finished. "I don't know, sometimes it all just seems that anything I do is in vain. People can't see past my appearance..."

"We do."

"A small, _select_ group, Toto."

Both men watched in silence as the butler walked past with a hammer and some nails.

"Is Muta afraid that we're going to be burgled again?" the baron asked, a slight tint of amusement rising in his voice.

Toto laughed. "He's convinced that once burglars have stolen from a house once, they'll return. He's managed to talk several of the staff into nailing down the windows so the thieves can't get in by the same way this time."

"And it's the middle of spring... let's just hope he's recovered his senses by the time summer arrives."

"You don't think then that the burglars will be back then?"

"I doubt it. Not after seeing me."

Toto looked over at his friend doubtfully. "You don't think they'll go telling what they saw, do you?"

The baron shook his head. "They were thieves – I doubt they're going to spread around that they stole into here and saw a cat creature. Not unless they want to be considered mad."

"But if a rumour gets out–"

"Then unless they try to storm the manor, it doesn't matter. Most people don't believe rumours anyway – they're rarely true."

"This one's true," Toto pointed out.

"Yes... but they won't know that." The baron straightened out the portrait one more time. "Now, I suppose it's time we go and make sure Muta isn't taking too many precautions over future burglars."

"I _did_ see several of the maids carrying extra mice traps..."

"That settles it; we need to check on Muta."

ooOoo

"No, Hiromi, you're _not_ coming with me!" hissed Haru. She was standing at the wall that held the Gikkingen estate on the other side, one hand on the top ready to pull herself up.

"Haru, I don't care what fancy notion you've got into your thick skull, but I'm not going to let you throw yourself into danger. At least, not without me."

"You heard what Oscar said – if I get caught he won't do anything to help. I'm sure he'll apply that same philosophy to you."

Hiromi growled. "Forget Oscar. I'm coming with you and that's that."

Haru sighed, rubbing tiredly at the bridge of her nose. "Oh, of all the stubborn mules... Look, Hiromi, _please_."

"We've always worked together on missions..."

"Not this time. Listen, I'll be back before you know it."

Hiromi gave a disbelieving snort.

"Please, promise me you won't enter the mansion."

The shorter brunette thought it over. Then she sighed. "Okay, I promise."

"Thank you." Haru prepared to leap onto the wall but suddenly hesitated. "Hey, Hiromi?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't tell the entire truth when I told you about my past."

Hiromi waved it away. "Yeah, I knew that."

"You did?"

"Hey, you kept the details to a minimal. I can understand if your past ain't pretty."

Haru took a deep breath and plunged straight into the truth. "My mum and I did once live on the streets, but when I was eight we were taken in by a rich gentleman. He later married my mother and I lived with that family for five years."

Hiromi whistled. "I knew you were hiding something, but I never thought it was something like _that_. Hey, that was why you were always good at acting like a lady."

Haru nodded. "Yes."

"What brought you back onto the streets then?"

"An accident. My mother, step-father and sister all perished. For some reason or another, I couldn't inherit the mansion and I returned to the streets. You found me several months later when I was running low on just about everything." Haru's hand moved to the necklace she'd kept on her since joining Oscar's gang. She had eventually managed to convince Oscar to give it back through a combination of begging and promises. She didn't dare take it off – one of the other kids could all too easily steal it and sell it just for an extra meal or new clothes.

"You were in a bit of a state then. Haru, I'm so sorry–"

"For what? It wasn't your fault."

"But you haven't told me why you were afraid of cats. Did they have something to do with the accident?"

Haru shook her head. "I'm not really afraid of cats, but it's easier to say that rather than have to explain the real reason for my avoidance. Hiromi, I've only ever told one other person this, so you have to promise and cross your heart you won't tell."

"I won't, I won't. I promise."

"When I was younger I had... abilities."

"What? Like flame throwing or–"

Haru shook her head again. "No, no, nothing like that. More like... magical abilities. But after something happened when I was eight, I think I... locked my magic so it only centred around one thing..."

"Cats?" Hiromi asked disbelievingly.

"You believe me?"

"Haru, if you wanted to lie about your fear of cats, I know you would have chosen a more mundane reason," Hiromi stated flatly. "Therefore, I believe you. So what can your magic do?"

"The only ability I seem to have retained is cat-speaking abilities. I once... hurt someone with my magic as well, but I didn't get to see the effects." '_Well_,' she added mentally, '_not until yesterday, anyway_.' "I stay away from cats so people don't suspect anything strange."

Hiromi sighed. "Haru, if anyone else had told me that, I would've thought they were off their rocker."

"But not me?"

"Heck Haru, I already knew you were mad," Hiromi teased. "Now, hurry up and go before it dawns."

Haru gave one last laugh and jumped onto the wall. "I'm on it." She slipped down onto the other side, preparing herself for a second attempt at raiding the Gikkingen mansion. She heard a tap from the outside of the wall.

"Hey, be careful."

Haru smiled. "I always am."

She took the same route as last time and quickly found herself kneeling below the same window as before. "I suppose it's too much to hope that..." she started to mutter, fiddling with the latch in an attempt to unlock it like before. "Nope, they've fixed it down. Damn, what now?"

"What about trying the staff door?"

Haru jumped and hissed at Hiromi, "I thought you promised to stay out!"

"I promised I wouldn't set foot inside the mansion. You said nothing about helping you into the house."

"Technicalities..."

"You're still going to try the staff door, right?"

"Yeah, course I am." Haru set off, then paused. "How did you get over the wall without assistance?"

"I'm not that small!" Hiromi whispered back.

"Ah, they've locked the staff entrance."

Hiromi grinned. "At least they haven't bolted it down."

Like before with the window, Haru fiddled with the door until the sound of the lock clicking could be heard. The door swung lazily open.

"You've got to teach me how you do that," breathed Hiromi.

"Maybe later. But for now: _stay_."

"I'm not a dog," her friend complained.

"Sometimes I think a dog would be easier to deal with."

"Thanks."

"I was serious about the command – stay here and if anything happens... get back to the others immediately."

"To bring reinforcements?"

"To get yourself out of harm's way, actually. Oscar won't stick his neck out for me and I'm sure he was being honest when he said he would leave tomorrow with or without me. See you later. Hopefully." Haru smiled and slipped through the staff entrance. She found herself immediately in the kitchen. "Well, I think we've already established there's not much of worth in here..."

She glanced around, trying to remember the layout from yesterday, but the events were mostly a blurry mass of images. She supposed the shock at the time had effectively messed up her memory of that night.

"Come on, no time for dilly-dallying," she muttered to herself, using Hiromi's favourite phrase. "Get in, get out, job done. Simple." She peered out into the hallway. "At least, it would be if I had any idea where to start..." She cut herself off as footsteps made their way down the stairs. She retreated into the kitchen. "What the... I haven't even broken anything this time..."

There was a gap in the row of kitchen cupboards for where the door to a broom cupboard or something was and figuring that she didn't have enough time to open it and get in before the stranger entered, she crouched in the gap instead. The footsteps entered the kitchen – the slight creaking of the door warning her – and walked across the tiled floor. A candle was set down on the table in the middle and the cupboards across the room were rifled through.

'_Please let it just be someone coming for a midnight snack_,' she prayed. Curled up in her little nook, she couldn't see if it was the baron or not, but could only hope they wouldn't spot her. She heard a slight grumbling and strained to make out the words.

"Ruddy Birdbrain," was the muttering. "Thinking moving round the angel fruit cake would put me off. He doesn't know who he's dealing with! I _own_ this kitchen! Ha!"

Without realising it, Haru released the breath she had been holding in. No, it wasn't the baron. This was a completely different person. Someone who really had just come down for a midnight snack. And they seemed rather focused on the matter at hand.

"I bet he's hidden the cream too... Ah well, it's nothing that a little search won't discover. Now, if I was a tub of cream hidden by a birdbrain like Toto, where would I hide...?"

The candle was picked off the table and suddenly its track was making alarming progress towards the scarcely concealed Haru. She pinned herself against the cupboard side, and yet somehow knew that it wasn't going to do any good. She heard the cupboard she was leaning against open its door and her breathing suddenly seemed ridiculously loud and overt. She was going to be found out any moment...

A face had unexpectedly appeared round the side of the cupboard, staring straight into Haru's eyes. She could see by the man's expression that the last thing he had been expecting in the kitchen was an eighteen-year-old hiding against the cupboard. But she knew the shock would only last for a limited time.

'_Escape_,' her mind nudged and abruptly she had jumped out of her hiding place and was sprinting towards the door.

"Burglar! Burglar in the house!" the man was roaring. "The burglar's returned!"

Haru skidded towards the door, but her feet suddenly disappeared under her as she fell foul to a slip. She saw Hiromi stare in and then run out of the grounds, probably to tell the others what had happened. Haru, meanwhile, found herself leaning against the door she'd fell against when she'd fallen. She groggily blinked away the avenging stars circling her head. "Ow... not good..." she managed to murmur. She slowly brought her gaze up to see the man standing before her, now accompanied by several others.

"Not good at all."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: As always, thanks for all the support for all my stories - I'll still be updating _A Little Ballerina_ whenever I finish a chapter but expect updates for it to be random and sporadic at best. This will go on with the usual weekly update and I hope, despite the month respite, you can remember what's been going on.**

**Merry Christmas,**

**Cat.**


	12. The Girl in the Room

Chapter 12: The Girl in the Room

"You say she was caught breaking into the kitchen?"

Muta nodded. "Yes, but I don't think she had enough time to take anything. She managed to enter through the staff door."

Toto on Baron's other side cackled. "I suppose your enormous appetite came in handy for once, eh, Butterball?"

"Hey, keep your trap shut, Birdbrain!"

Baron sighed and rubbed one gloved hand over his eyes. Another pair of whiskers had sprung up in the night; the bags under his eyes betrayed the sleepless night he'd experienced. "Not now, guys. We have a situation to deal with here. Although Toto _is_ right in the fact that we were lucky that you got peckish in the night otherwise the girl may have been successful this time."

"So what's the plan?"

Baron raised an eyebrow. "Plan?"

"Yeah, plan. Are we turning her over to the police or what? We can't just keep her locked up in one of the spare bedrooms – we're having to keep someone at the door to make sure she doesn't escape as it is. She's already proven she's apt at unlocking doors twice."

"I'm not sure."

"Look, Baron – I don't like the idea that that girl could have snuck in and snuck out without any of us knowing the better–"

"Neither do I, Muta, but I doubt it's as simple as the black-and-white story you make it out to be."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I mean she has probably been driven to thieve in order to survive." Baron gave his friend a sidelong look. "Few people would steal just for the kicks of it."

"Yes, I know that, but–"

"Have you tried talking to her?"

At that suggestion, Muta snorted. "Baron, not to be disrespectful or anything, but I doubt she's in the mood to talk. She's a ruddy wildcat – her shouting woke the entire mansion."

The baron looked thoughtful. "Maybe she'll be in the mood to listen then."

"Good luck with that."

"Which room is she in?"

"The spare one on the second floor."

"That doesn't sound like the easiest room to drag her to."

Muta snorted again. "We had to be sure she wouldn't try to escape by the window. Are you going to talk to her?" He glanced at his half-feline friend. "I mean, remember what you are."

"I'm hardly likely to forget."

Toto rolled his eyes at Muta once Baron had left for the aforementioned spare room. "Great going, _pudding-brains_. Do you think he _likes_ being reminded of what he's turning into?"

Baron ignored the bickering that was commencing on the floor below and instead focused on the door of the spare room. One of the staff – probably one of the cooks if Muta had organised this – was standing by the door with a guard-like stance. Baron waved him away, leaving only the door remaining between him and the girl. He hesitated with his hand ready to knock at the door. What was he meant to say? He didn't even know the girl's name.

Gathering his resolve, he knocked.

There came no reply.

He wondered whether Muta had given him the wrong room for a moment, but the fact that he had taken it upon himself to post a guard contradicted that thought.

"Are you in there? Can you hear me?"

Still, silence was the only answer.

"I just want to help."

'_Yeah, because __**that's**__ not clichéd at all..._' a snide voice in his head commented.

"None of us here want to harm you – people are just shaken by your entrance." He ignored the slight understatement in his remark. "What's your name?"

He was becoming steadily frustrated with the silences.

"Alright, don't tell me your name then. I doubt you'll want to give any other details then." He paused. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold a one-sided conversation when someone isn't talking? It's surprisingly difficult."

Yet another silence.

"You know, you're not making this any easier on yourself. People want me to contact the police and bring the law into this." There was a slight sigh in his voice. "I'd rather not."

"Who are you? You don't talk like the others."

Baron's ears perked up at the hesitant question. "And how do the others talk?"

"They shout. Who are you?"

"I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. But I go by Baron mostly."

"You're the... the..."

"I'm the person you met the night before last, yes," said Baron, cutting in before she could use the word "cat" or even "monster". He had heard several variations of his description. "Cat" was the least offensive and "monster" wasn't even cutting it close to the worst.

The girl fell silent again. The baron wasn't sure how to interpret this. With his experience though, silence associated with his appearance was usually to be taken negatively.

"You won't be able to keep me in here forever," Haru suddenly said, her voice regaining some control. Suddenly she sounded like the full eighteen years she was. "You'll let me go sooner or later."

"What makes you think we're going to keep you in here?"

"No one outside this estate knows about your appearance; you wouldn't risk breaking your secret by getting the law involved. The police would probably want to talk to the head of the mansion, a failure to do so would look suspicious. That leaves you little choice."

"I'm sure we'll think of something."

"Is that a threat?" Haru growled.

"It wasn't meant to be. Will you at least give me your name?"

She returned to silence once again.

Baron sighed and moved away from the door. "Perhaps Muta was right. Perhaps I am wasting my time here."

ooOoo

On the other side of the door, Haru heard the baron walk away. She sighed and sat back down beside the window, staring down at the gardens below and thinking about the feline lord. Somehow she felt that that wouldn't be the last time she'd hear from him.

ooOoo

"I still say we should contact the police."

Baron growled under his breath. "But she was right, Muta! I _can't_ risk attracting the attention of the police by bringing them here – it will look fishy if the baron of the estate won't talk to the police about a burglary."

Toto sighed, stirring a spoon in his tea. "It's times like these when you wish for the simpler days, isn't it?"

Muta snorted. "What simpler days? Baron's been cursed since he was fifteen. It's been downhill from there."

"The times when the extent of the curse could be covered with gloves."

"You mean when Baron could still be seen in public? Okay, yeah, _those_ were simpler days."

Baron smiled ruefully, despite himself. "Sorry, but the tail quickly cut that period short."

"We still haven't worked out what we're going to do about the girl."

Baron's smile disappeared, to be replaced by a contemplative frown. "Well, the police option is off the list–" he tapped his index finger against the table "–unless either of you have any bright ideas that doesn't involve attracting any attention." He paused. When neither spoke up, he added, "I didn't think so. Right, so option number two–" he tapped his middle finger against the table, counting off his choices "–is that we let the girl go." He held up his hand to silence Muta's protests. "I know, I know, it's not desirable–"

"Desirable?" Muta echoed disbelievingly, ignoring Baron's gesture to remain silent. "It's idiotic! If you let her go, she'll go and raid some other poor bloke's house and maybe they won't be so lucky in catching the culprit. She won't learn from this! Also, what if she decides to go blabbing your secret? We've tried so hard over the years to keep your... _appearance_ a secret and if this girl goes running around telling everyone that–"

"Yes, Muta, I know," insisted Baron, motioning for the larger man to let him get a word in. "So that rules out option two. Option three–" he tapped his ring finger against the table, indicating the final choice "–is the last option. The girl remains here."

Both the other two men started.

"Are you insane?!" Muta demanded. "Keep her here?"

"You can't keep her here against her will, Baron," Toto said in a slightly calmer voice.

"We only really have the three choices. I'm sure she's aware of that as well."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

Muta snorted. "Baron's already tried, Birdbrain."

"The Birdbrain comment again? Honestly, you need new insults."

"Can we focus on the task at hand, _please_? No, Toto, I don't plan on keeping her here against her will, but I believe we can convince her to stay."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I still insist that she probably on thieved out of the need to survive. If she sees that it would be easier for her to stay here, maybe we can convince her."

Muta suddenly sat up in his seat, frowning. "You said "we"," he remarked darkly.

Baron gave his friend an icy stare. "Should I have said "I", then? Muta, if you can think of a better option, then I'm welcome to suggestions."

"I didn't say I could think of a better option."

"Are you still up for the police option then?"

"I just don't think we should discard it quite so readily. Most of the town accepts that you're a recluse – we could claim you had a disfigurement or something so the police wouldn't have to see you."

"I'm still wary. It's risky."

The larger man sighed and leant back in his chair. "Alright, try and win the little demon onto your side then. I refuse to take any responsibility for what happens. And if you do succeed, what then?"

"Maybe she could be taught a trade by one of the staff here," suggested Baron. "Something that would give her a chance to make an honest income."

Toto cackled. "With your luck, lardball, she'll probably want to be a cook."

Muta growled at that thought and abruptly leant forward towards the table. "Oh _no_, Baron, if she shows an interest in being a chief, _do not_, under any circumstances, put her with me. I have enough on my plate without having to ferry around pickpockets."

"Let me deal with that. I'm going to go and try to talk some sense into that girl."

"She won't even tell you her name," pointed out Muta in an exasperated voice.

Baron grinned. "Personally, since I was christened with the name "Humbert", I can understand the desire to keep a name a secret," he said, pulling his top hat over his ears. "She'll come around. You'll see."

Muta rolled his eyes at Toto once the baron had gone. "He's losing it."

"Maybe he's right though. Maybe this is the best option we have," Toto replied, leaving off the usual insults in his seriousness.

"And maybe this is a mistake."

"Maybe. But we should trust Baron. He's rarely been wrong before."

"There's a first time for everything."

ooOoo

Two flights of stairs above the two men, Baron was arriving at the door of the spare bedroom. He once again waved away the guard, leaving only him outside the room.

"Twice in one day; should I be flattered?" a voice from within asked flatly.

"We've come to a decision," Baron said bluntly. He heard the girl on the other side of the door move suddenly, eager to hear whether she'd be freed or not.

"You're letting me go?"

"Not exactly. We've decided... against alerting the police, but I fear not everyone is satisfied with that choice. And people are wary of just letting you go."

There was a coarse laugh from the girl. "They're afraid I'll come back? No fear." There was a pause. "Or is the fear that I'll spread nasty rumours?"

"There's... that as well, yes."

"So what's happening?"

"I've come to give you a... a choice."

"If it doesn't involve the law, I'm listening."

"You could stay here."

The girl didn't reply at once. Then, "Stay here?"

"You wouldn't have to worry about food or a roof over your head. And what do you have to go back to on the streets?"

He received no reply, so he just added, "I'll let you think it over," before leaving.

On the other side of the door, Haru was sitting on the floor, leaning her back against the bed.

"What _do_ I have to go back to?" she whispered. "Hiromi's probably left with Oscar – and goodness knows which town they've headed to now – so I won't be able to find them again. What _do_ I have left?" She picked up her necklace which she still had and unlatched it from around her neck, hanging it before her eyes. "What would you do, Mum? I don't know whether I can trust these people – and one isn't even human, but... he's the first one to show me any sort of consideration." She blearily closed her eyes. "The first one to show kindness... _real_ kindness... for five long years. Maybe this is the break I've been needing."

She dropped the butterfly into her other hand; her fingers curled protectively around it. "You trusted Charles, right? Even though you didn't know him... How did you know that you were doing the right thing? Or was it just hope? Can I make the same decision?"

The azure wings of the butterfly sparkled in the sunlight as she uncurled her fist. "I suppose there's only one way to find out."

She got slowly to her feet and walked over to the door. She beat her fist against the wooden door, hoping she'd be listened to this time. "Hey, whoever's out there, pass on a message!"

"What is it?"

"Tell... tell the baron that..." She closed her eyes, sensing that if she accepted this proposition, she wouldn't be able to back out so easily. This was her final chance to say no and take the consequences.

But was that what she wanted?

"Tell him I accept."


	13. First Impressions

Chapter 13: First Impressions

"She accepted?!"

"Apparently. Try to look a little less dismayed, Muta. This is the best of our options really."

Muta grunted, making it quite clear that _that_ was a matter of opinion. "You know what she's planning, right?" he demanded. "She'll stay long enough to find out where all the valuables are and as soon as we turn our back she'll be out of that door like a shot. And probably loaded down with loot, I'll bet."

"If you give the girl a chance, I'm sure she'll prove herself to be quite the opposite."

"If _you_ give the girl a chance, she'll rob us dry."

Baron sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Look, this is a conversation that we've gone through countless times, and every time we've reached the same impasse. The girl has accepted our offer; we can't withdraw it now. What exactly have you got against her?"

Toto stared at the larger man, then cackled. "I know what it is. He's worried for Rosie."

"Too damn right I am!" growled Muta. "I don't want my kid living round a thief!"

"Muta, I doubt that the girl is going to harm your daughter. Only a monster would attack a child."

"I don't want to take the risk."

"If you get too worried, you could always send her to her aunt's."

"What, Carrie's sister? That _witch_? No fear! Rosie stays here."

Baron just smiled ruefully. "That's sorted then. But the girl has accepted our offer to stay here – so until I see some evidence to change my decision, she stays."

"So now what, Baron?" Toto asked, cutting in before Muta could complain any more. "Where do we start?"

"Someone should show her around the estate–"

"And I expect you're going to ask me, right?" snapped Muta.

Baron's eyes turned cold. "No, Renaldo," he said, reverting to Muta's original name, "I wasn't. With your attitude, I wouldn't be surprised if the girl ran away tonight. No, I was going to ask Toto, actually." He turned to his other friend. "Please tell me you're open to this suggestion otherwise I'm either going to have to ask your brother or one of the staff. I can't show her around – the girl cannot deal with my appearance just yet."

"Sure, I'll do it." Toto stretched as he stood up out of his chair. "If you think the girl isn't all bad, I'll take your word for it."

"Suck-up," Muta muttered.

"Pessimist," Toto shot back automatically. "No, don't worry Baron," he added to the baron. "I'll make her feel welcome. Unlike the naysayer here." He gestured to the larger man slouching in his seat.

Muta just glowered but couldn't bring himself to throw another insult.

"Thank you, Toto. Much appreciated."

As Toto left, his brother appeared. With his dark hair and eyes, Machida bore quite a bit of resemblance to his older sibling. "Where's he off to?" he asked, motioning vaguely in the direction Toto had taken.

"He's going to show the girl round the estate," Baron explained, purposely ignoring Muta's unconvinced snort.

"What, the girl who was caught last night?"

"The very same."

Machida made a face. "Her? Why?"

Muta smiled thinly. "Because Mr Charity here," he said, pointing a thumb in Baron's direction, "believes he can turn her into a lady."

"I said nothing of the sort. You're putting words into my mouth," protested Baron.

"He thinks he can tame her?" Machida asked incredulously.

Baron had to fight back a scowl at his cousin's choice of words."Why do you say _tame_, Machida?"

"Because she was a _wild thing_ when we locked her in the spare room," Machida accused. "She woke up half the estate with her shouting as she tried to break free."

"_You don't talk like the others."_

"_And how do the others talk?"_

"_They shout."_

Baron was surprised by the piece of dialogue from earlier that returned to mind, but he saw the connection. To Machida he said, "You know, maybe she was equally startled by the accusations you were throwing at her."

"We called her a thief – and that is what she is. I don't think you can claim we were being unjust."

Baron shook his head. "You don't get it. What I mean is maybe you were scaring her. No wonder she tried to fight back."

Machida scowled. "Just don't get me involved in this whole taming business," he said icily, collapsing into the chair Toto had earlier left. He smirked. "It sounds like something out of _The Taming of the Shrew_."

"No, it doesn't," sighed Baron, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That was all to do with marriage and the techniques used were barbaric."

But it seemed Machida was caught up in the idea. "No, listen, that was about taming an unruly woman, right? And you're trying to make this girl into someone respectable so it certainly bears a certain resemblance."

"If you even suggest we refuse to give her food on claiming it is "too good for her"..." muttered Baron.

"What?"

"It's one of the techniques used by Petruchio," explained Baron. He shook his head, "At least, you would know that if you had even read or seen the play. Anyway, with that method Petruchio reduced Katherine to a shell. We are _not_ trying to do the same here."

Machida just shrugged. "If you say so."

ooOoo

Toto hadn't seen the girl properly and so, on opening the door to the spare room, he was unsure what he was going to see. He had heard the powerful capacity of the girl's lungs when she had been discovered, but he knew little more about her than that. She hadn't even given her name yet. Still, he was surprised by what he came face to face with.

When the door was opened, the girl was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed. The bed looked unruffled – she hadn't sat on it once. With everyone referring to her as "the girl" he had been expecting a young teenager at most; instead he found himself staring at a young woman of around eighteen. On seeing him in the doorway, the girl – no, _young woman_ – had flicked her eyes to him.

Her deep brown eyes were far too old for a young woman of her age, surely? They reflected times of hardship, of loss, of suffering. Her face was framed by dark hair which was jaggedly cut as if it had been quickly hacked with a pair of blunt scissors. The hair fell no further than her shoulders, cut short enough to keep out of her way but long enough – just – to give her haircut a slightly feminine look.

"Well?" she asked shortly. Her voice was hoarse – probably caused by the shouting she'd done. She used not a word more to convey her query.

"You can stay."

She didn't react – not openly anyway. She just sat there; a thousand different thoughts chasing across her mind. Eventually her eyes flicked to him once again, questioning why he was remaining there when he had passed on the message.

"Baron suggested that I should show you around, since you're going to be staying with us," Toto offered as an explanation. He tried to cheer her with a smile. "You wouldn't want to be getting lost on your first day here, would you?"

The young woman rose to her feet and nodded in a fashion that suggested she was waiting for him to start the tour.

'_Well, we won't have to worry about her extensive vocal chords then,_' Toto noted, watching her silently follow him. She was scarily thin – the result of flirtation with starvation – but her eyes betrayed a certain alertness. They darted from side to side as if assessing what she was seeing; after a life on the streets it was probably a natural habit, Toto assumed.

Behind him, Haru was thinking furiously as she battled conflicting feelings. The urge to simply flee was very much present, but the larger part of her knew that she had nothing to run _to_ anymore. She had to take it as a given that those here meant her no harm. She tried not to think about the fact that she lived on the streets and how no one would search for her if she disappeared. Hiromi might, but she was just another girl off the streets – no one would listen to her seriously. Some people might even be relieved by the fact there was one less thief on the prowl.

"You haven't told Baron your name, by the way," Toto started up again. The silence unnerved him. "You _do_ have a name, right?"

The brunette gave a curt nod, but didn't go on to detail exactly what her name was. So Toto tried a more direct approach.

"So what do people call you?"

"That depends on what people we're referring to," she answered back shortly.

Toto paused to reflect upon the meaning of her response. He cringed when he realised she'd probably gone through life with people calling her names such as "street-rat" or "urchin". He decided he wouldn't pursue the subject further.

As the tour went on, Haru grew steadily quieter; even quieter than how she'd been originally. She found that she hadn't forgotten her time in the DuBois household, with the mansion displaying a familiar, although ultimately different, layout to the DuBois home. She didn't mention it to the man, but she could easily tell him what each room was for as soon as she entered. By his explanations she guessed that he had assumed she'd lived on the streets all her life. An assumption that was wrong, but one she wasn't about to correct him on. She was focusing on hiding the emotion swirling inside her. There was grief – oh yes, there was grief – but the emotion that she struggled to push away was anger. Anger for everything she'd lost; anger for how her life had been cruelly, suddenly ripped away from her by the death of her family. Anger for the lost life of her unborn sister.

Anger at herself, for surviving when everyone else had perished.

'_Why me? What good can I do?_' she silently demanded, although she knew she would receive no answer. '_I will never do anything worthwhile. Lou was always the better person – she was the one who was going to go on to do great things. She should've been the one to survive. She should've been in my place._' She suddenly stopped, bringing her feet to an abrupt halt. '_So many times when it would have been easy to give up, but I carried on fighting... Why?_'

"Are you okay?"

Haru snapped out of her drowning thoughts and brought her head up to see the tall man regarding her with a look... a look she hadn't seen in... _years_. A look Charles and Louise DuBois had given her all those years ago when she'd had her first meal with them. She struggled to remember the name of that look.

It was pity.

Realising she had taken several seconds while considering the look, she attempted a weak smile. She registered he meant well, and so the smile must have been stronger than she had expected, since he returned the smile. Or maybe he was just glad that she smiled at all.

"Is everything alright?"

Haru looked around the room they were currently occupying. They were in the lounge – the same room she had smashed the portrait two nights ago. Looking over at the mantelpiece, she saw the photo of the young seven-year-old boy resting on it, even without the frame. Her feet dragged her to it and before she knew it, she was picking up the delicate portrait.

Her fingers drifted over the boy's features... the eyes were as green as she remembered, even though a decade had passed since that first meeting. Her other hand suddenly flew and took the picture of the fifteen-year-old youth as well. She held them side-by-side for comparison.

Toto looked over her shoulder at the portraits that had seized the brunette's attention so abruptly. "Ah," he said gently, "I see you've found the pictures of Baron."

She spun around, staring at his face as if trying to detect a lie. She had guessed so already, but to hear it being confirmed...

Toto mistook her expression as surprise that the Baron was once a human instead of the half feline he was now. "He wasn't always a cat, you know," he explained. "He was born as human as you or I."

Haru didn't reply; her mind was in turmoil. The pieces were fitting together perfectly – too perfectly. She remembered the details of the boy she'd met when she was five – Humbert, he had referred to himself at the time. She smiled a little ruefully, understanding fully why he went by Baron now. And the boy she'd known was the same as the one in the picture. Exactly identical.

Her eyes snapped to the second portrait – the one of the baron at fifteen or so. Maybe a year younger. She hadn't paid enough attention after being saved to pick out any details, but somewhere in her subconscious the image of her rescuer must have been burned into her mind, because on seeing the portrait she recognised him immediately. And so this was the more difficult of the realisations... The realisation that Humbert, the boy who had saved her and Baron were all one and the same.

"Baron was cursed," continued Toto. "Yes, he really was," he insisted, taking Haru's stare to be disbelief. "That picture there–" he pointed to the second one in Haru's hands "–is the last portrait Baron ever stood for. That's him on his fifteenth birthday. Can't believe that's five years ago..."

Haru nudged him, motioning for him to continue his explanation.

"Oh, sorry. Just reminiscing. He... he had come out riding with us – Muta and I – and we were racing. We had chosen a finishing line and each had chosen a different path – Baron had taken the one beside the river."

Haru could see where this was heading, but she had to hear it in spoken words. Had to hear it out of the mouth of another individual.

"He was riding when he saw a carriage overturn and fall into the river and he – naturally – stopped. He waited long enough to hear the verdict that three bodies from within the carriage had been confirmed; all of them had been killed by the fall. But then another person who had been an observer to the accident commented that a young girl had fallen out before the carriage had overturned. There was talk that she might still be in the river – still alive. So Baron went looking for her, believing that as long as there was a chance she might still be alive he had to hope."

Haru now knew exactly what was going to happen next in the narrative. The Baron was going to find the girl, save her and the girl, for the Baron's pains, would curse him. Toto continued though, maybe unsure how to read her expression.

"He saw her go under and when she failed to surface, he went in after her. He managed to get her out before it was too late, but the girl was ranting. She couldn't accept the fact that her family were dead. Baron tried to make her stay long enough so he could get a doctor or someone to check her, but she grew angry. In her attempt to break free, she sent a spell of some sorts at him. He was thrown away and knocked unconscious by the force of the spell where Muta and I later found him still. He never saw the girl again."

'_Until now_,' Haru added. '_But he doesn't know that_.' A heaviness filled her heart. '_The last time Baron tried to keep me somewhere, even for my own good, I harmed him. How long will it be before my stay here brings about the same result?_'

Apparently though, Toto hadn't finished his narrative. It appeared that wasn't the end of the story.

"We found Baron still human, apart from the exception of his hands, which had gained pads like a cat's paw, although he retained fingers. We didn't know what to make of this and assumed that was the extent of the curse. But we were wrong. The change is gradual and irregular." Haru noted that Toto had changed from past tense to present. "There seems to be nothing that triggers it – nothing we can pin down anyway. For a while the changes – which were marked with fits or seizures – were frequent, but then it slowed, and now we have no idea when to expect the next one." Toto looked pointedly at Haru. "The most recent one was last night in fact. The one before that occurred the night before."

Haru remembered how the Baron had doubled over in pain when she had screamed... she had seen the effect of the curse. But... two fits, two nights in a row?

"We were able to hide the changes – mostly the paw-like hands – for a while," Toto continued, "but eventually we found there were... aspects of his appearance that no amount of concealing or lying could hide. Baron became forced to remain in the estate, aware of the fear that his appearance could cause. Only the people here know of the truth."

There was silence after Toto had finished. He waited for the brunette to respond, but when she did it wasn't what he had expected.

"When did his fit happen last night?"

Toto stood flummoxed by the question for several moments. "Um, at the same time you were discovered in the kitchen. That's why he didn't come down at the time."

"Is he still in pain?" Haru could feel the guilt rising inside her.

"No, he's recovered." After a moment, Toto added, "He didn't show you around because he felt his appearance would cause discomfort."

'_It would, but not for the reason he's thinking of_,' Haru thought. '_I can't believe this; my past has come right back to haunt me. Too bad I don't believe in fate_.'

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Sorry for the late chapter - exams have been a killer this week and also a showing of _Les Miserables_ overlapped my usual updating time. For those of you interested in _Les Mis_ - it's fantastic! And, to make this vaguely TCR related, Anne Hathaway (the voice of Haru, as many of you reader will surely know) is a marvellous singer and I'm even considering doing a TCR adaption of Les Mis. With a few changes, of course...**

**Thanks as always for your ongoing patience. You keep us writers writing. **

**God bless.**

**Cat.**


	14. People Like You

Chapter 14: People Like You

"So how did escorting the little terror go?"

"Very well, actually," answered Toto curtly. "She's nothing like you made her out to be."

"Well, you've only seen her good side then."

Baron motioned for Muta to take a break with his comments. "How is she taking it?"

"She seems to be... thinking about it," Toto admitted truthfully.

"And by that you mean...?"

"She's very quiet."

"I hope that's a good sign."

"She showed interest in the pictures on the mantelpiece," the darker man added, as if hoping to brighten the Baron's mood. "She seemed quite open to the whole "curse" idea. Maybe... maybe she'll become used to the concept and you could actually meet again... face-to-face."

Baron looked down into his cup of tea and laughed gently, almost bitterly. "I expect that it will be a long time before she can comfortably come to terms with... with what I am."

"She talked to you before – maybe she will talk to you again."

"She didn't have much of an option then."

From his corner, Muta grunted. "So now what?"

"What?"

"Well, the girl's staying, right?"

"Yes... your point being...?"

"So what is she going to do? We're not a charity–"

"I said that perhaps one of the staff could teach her a trade – that maybe she could help around here – but we should allow her to settle down first. She should learn her way around here before we start thinking about it."

Again, Muta made a dismissing noise and pushed himself out of his seat. "Alright, whatever. I'm heading back to the kitchens. At least I get peace and quiet there."

Toto scoffed.

"Alright," amended Muta, "_reasonable_ peace and quiet. At least there I can get away from this business." He folded up his stereotypical newspaper and left it on the table as he headed out. "I'll see you around."

He wandered through the ancestral mansion, aiming for the kitchens. Once there, he tugged an apron off a hook and tied it around his waist. "Okay, Satori, how is that beef doing? You haven't set the place alight yet I see."

Satori – a young man in his early-twenties – appeared from the larder. "Your faith in me is touching, Muta. Just out of curiosity, when was the last time I burnt down the kitchen?"

"Well... there was that incident with the duck..."

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

"Of course not." Muta grinned and moved to take possession of the oven. However, as he did so, he froze, his gaze fixed on the slim frame of a girl sitting on a chair in the corner. "What..." he started slowly, "is _she_ doing here?"

Satori glanced around to see who Muta meant. On seeing the brunette, he shrugged. "She wandered down a while ago. We had seen her while Toto was showing her around – he explained that the Baron had agreed for her to stay here. She looked a bit peckish so we didn't see any harm in giving her a bite to eat."

The young woman sat with her feet perched on the chair, watching the conversation with wary eyes. In her hand she held a tightly eaten apple which was only composed of the core and stalk now. With her feet tucked beneath her, allowing her to roost on the chair, she looked like some wild animal or bird, all too ready to make a run for it at a moment's notice.

"She's not coming into my kitchen," demanded Muta. "I'm not having–"

The other man suddenly drew himself to his full height, which, although it was relatively impressive, it didn't quite match up to Muta's. "_Your_ kitchen?" Satori said icily. "This place belongs to the Baron – and if he says she can stay here, I'm not going to kick her out."

Muta stopped mid-flow of his rant. From his expression, it appeared Satori rarely contradicted him.

The younger man huffed and turned back to his work. "Anyway, she was hungry. I'm not going to turn away someone who needs the food."

"She doesn't need–"

"She's unnaturally thin! Look!" Satori snapped. He snatched another apple out of a fruit bowl and tossed it to the brunette, who reached out eagerly and caught the fruit in midair. In the action, her gaunt frame was brought into the light for an instant before she withdrew herself back into the shadows. She devoured the apple without breathing, stripping it down to its bare features in an abnormally hasty time.

Satori turned to the older man. "See?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Some of the other cooks reckon she hasn't eaten properly in weeks – maybe longer. She's been living rough, Muta. No wonder she was driven to thieve."

"I... hadn't noticed."

"That was because you judge too quickly." He looked back to the brunette who had finished the apple and was again watching them with guarded eyes. He sighed. "She probably thinks you're going to throw her out after that fuss you kicked up and I don't blame her. Go and tell her that isn't the case." The smaller man rummaged in a cupboard and brought out a scone.

"What's that for?"

"To show you mean well," Satori said blankly. He shoved the food into Muta's hand and pushed him in the direction of the girl. "Now go and _apologise_."

Muta made a face at the emphasised word, but otherwise didn't give too much of a protest. Looking down at the scone, he sighed and walked towards the girl in the corner.

She tensed, her legs moving as if preparing to jump off the seat if he showed any hint of aggression. However, her eyes fixed themselves upon the offered food he was holding out, and she found herself caught.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Muta apologised as gently as he could manage. Even he could see she was ready to bolt at any moment. "I was just... startled, really, that's all. I judged you wrongly."

She watched him carefully, and for the first time a spark of surprise crept into her gaze. It seemed, out of everything she had expected, an apology was not one of those things. Her hand moved hesitantly forward and curled around the scone. A tiny smile flickered onto her features and in an almost instinctive reaction she brought the bread up to her mouth in a blur of movement. In eating, her worries were momentarily forgotten as her mind only focused on devouring the food as quickly as possible.

Satori stepped forward to stand beside Muta, smiling sadly at the astonished expression on the other man's face. "That's what living on the streets does to a person," he said quietly. "Food is eaten quickly otherwise it's stolen."

"How do you know that?" Muta asked, his eyes still trained on the brunette who was busy eating.

"I had a cousin that became homeless. He lost his job and so lost his home."

"What happened?"

"What usually happens. He starved. He had never had to live on the streets before and so was unprepared for it. I tracked him down, but by then it was too late."

"I'm... sorry. You never said."

"I don't talk about it. For obvious reasons. But that made me aware of the cruelty of that world; you survive by being sharp, by being quick and if you're not, well..." His gaze turned haunted. "Well, you don't."

"Well then, I think it would only be fair if she's allowed permanent access to the kitchens; what do you think, Satori?"

Satori's grin flickered back into place. "I think that's an excellent idea."

ooOoo

The unorthodox arrival of the silent brunette sent rumours scattering through the mansion at a fiery pace. Speculations about her past came of every nature, only sped by the lack of details the young woman would give. She rarely spoke; only ever opening her mouth when she need to, and gave little indication of her thoughts. She kept to herself most of the time and still her name was a mystery.

Several days later, she received a request to join the master of the house for dinner. At this, it had to be noted, her complexion paled a little more than usual, but she didn't speak a word of her discomfort. She only nodded and allowed herself to be led to dinner.

As she entered, she saw Baron sat at one end of the table – giving her an open opportunity to sit at the other end... and thus as far away from him as possible. Casting nervous glances at him, she took the seat at the far end.

Baron didn't fail to see her hesitation, but he didn't comment on it. Neither did he comment on her seat of choice.

"I was hoping," he said, his clear voice travelling across the table, "that you could join me for dinner most days." He hadn't taken his eyes off his food yet, but as he spoke, he raised his head to look over at the silent brunette. "I hope that will be satisfactory with you."

Across the table, Haru kept her eyes also trained on her dinner. At his words though, her hands tightened around the cutlery.

'_Keep a cool head, Haru... he's the one gave you the option to stay here..._'

"I'm fine with that," she muttered.

"Thank you."

Another silence broke out between them; Haru couldn't bring herself to look up at the feline gentleman. Finally he spoke out again.

"So what do you think of the estate? Toto showed you around, didn't he?"

Haru nodded tightly and carried on eating.

Baron watched the brunette; curiosity driving his gaze. Despite her background, as soon as she had sat down at the table she had shifted slightly in her posture, sitting slightly straighter than usual. He had noted the way she had automatically picked up the right cutlery without indecision when she had taken her place, and that was what made him wonder whether there was more to the young woman than originally met the eye.

And curiosity had prompted him to ask her to spend one meal – just dinner – with him a day. Something about her caught his attention.

"Do you have interests?" he asked lightly. "Hobbies?"

"Apart from stealing, you mean?" the girl said hoarsely. She brought her head suddenly up. "That's what you mean, isn't it? That's what people like you think of me – a thief. That's what everyone here thinks."

"I was... merely trying to make conversation," Baron said gently. Now she had made eye contact, he was able to look her in the eye for the first time. Suddenly he found himself losing his breath as he fell into the full intensity of her deep dark eyes. Then she broke the contact and returned back to averting his gaze.

"The question still stands," Baron said, breaking the silence once again. "Do you have any interests?"

"Why?"

"I was... hoping that we could find something of a personal interest for you to do in your time here. Maybe even pick up a trade. What skills do you know?"

"I can break locks," Haru said flatly.

"I don't think you're taking this seriously."

"So sue me." Haru smirked. "Oh, wait, you can't."

"I'm sure Muta will find a way," replied Baron in a low, impatient voice. "The only reason he isn't working on it now is because I've given him explicit orders to leave you alone. I'm sure if I took that ban off, he'd find a solution in no time. However, he has shown some optimism in the matter more recently."

"Who's Muta?"

"A friend of mine who works in the kitchen."

"You hire your friends?" Haru said disbelievingly.

"He needed a job; I needed a head cook. Life works out in strange ways."

Haru suddenly choked on her drink; she held up a hand to show she was okay before Baron moved out of his seat to help her. "I'm fine," she wheezed. '_Life works out in strange ways? I could tell him a thing or two about that_.'

"Are you okay?" The impatience from Baron's voice caused earlier by Haru's lack of cooperation disappearing in a heartbeat.

"I'm _fine_."

The Baron didn't inquire again. Perhaps, Haru thought idly as she let her mind return to that meeting between them five years ago, after having been punished for his concern last time he kept more to himself. She pushed away the guilt that returned with the memory of that day; instead attacking her meal with a fresh fervour. After a few seconds though she lifted her head to look at the Baron who was still watching her with those all-too-green, all-too-familiar eyes.

"I didn't wish to make life more difficult for you," said Baron calmly. Haru snapped her eyes to his and scanned his in search of any indication of his intentions. Of everything she had been expecting him to follow up their last dead-end conversation with, this hadn't been it. "I had hoped that in fact this would make life easier – kinder – for you."

"What happened?" Haru asked abruptly.

"I'm sorry?"

"What happened to make you want to help? What are you guilty about that would make you take in a thief off the streets?" the brunette said shortly.

"What makes you think this isn't just out of the goodness of my heart?" the Baron asked in a carefully careless tone, trying to lighten the conversation. "Maybe it was just a truly spontaneous action."

"No, that's not it. It's not that simple. Something... something happened to make you want to help." She watched for his reaction; satisfaction settling in when she saw his deceptively light expression flicker for a moment. "I'm right, aren't I? There is some other reason, isn't there?"

"You just... reminded me of someone. That was all," Baron admitted reluctantly. His actions had suddenly gained a heaviness, a gravity, that hadn't been there moments before.

"What, I remind you of someone? Who?" '_He doesn't know who I am, he doesn't know who I am, he doesn't know who I am_,' she chanted mentally. "So what? You took me in because I look like some girl you once knew?"

"It's not quite like that. It was just... for a moment when we first met, your eyes..." His own emerald eyes shifted to meet Haru's, for just a moment flickering in the light. Those green orbs grew sad, suddenly weighed down with the years; inexplicitly aging. "Do you sometimes feel like... like there were moments in your life when you could have made a difference, you could have done some good, and you didn't?"

Haru's sharp facade began to crumble as the Baron's words hit harder than he had probably meant them to. "A moment you wish you could take back?" she whispered. When their eyes met again, the ice in hers had melted. "Yeah, I sometimes get that."

Baron smiled bitterly, but his eyes were also soft, suddenly vulnerable, with memories. "You wish you could do anything to take back and relive that moment, but you can't. You have to go on living. But you promise yourself that if another moment like that turns up again, you won't let it slip past, you won't let it happen again."

Haru looked away.

"You know exactly what I mean, don't you?" realised the baron suddenly. "I can see it."

"Please don't ask me what happened," the girl replied hoarsely, turning her head further away, "because it's personal. And it hurts."

She heard the scrap of his chair and, assuming that he had taken her response as rudeness, waited to hear him leave. But instead a gloved hand slipped itself under her chin and brought her head around. The feline lord was kneeling down on one knee so his eyes were level with her; his eye full of a kindness Haru hadn't seen in... too many years.

"I don't know what you've gone through and I can't guess what your life has been like up to this point. I don't know a thing about you, not even your name, but I want you to know that this is a new start here," he told her softly, his soothing accent calming her. "You won't have to worry about your next meal or having a roof over your head anymore. You won't need to sleep on the streets. Ever."

"I've heard that before," snapped Haru, the ice instantly returning to her eyes. "And last time I heard that, it cost me everything. A new start is only a new opportunity to get hurt." She moved abruptly to her feet; barriers forming around her mind. "A new start only means you gain more things to lose. A mother. A father. An unborn sibling. A..." She closed her eyes and brought the word painfully out. "A sister."

She took one step away from the table, then another, and another. "And I'm done suffering," she added in a tight whisper, and ran out of the room.


	15. Out of the Horse's Mouth

Chapter 15: Out of the Horse's Mouth

"She hates me." The feline form of the Baron was pacing up and down the confines of his well-trod quarters; his cat features only reinforcing the image of a caged lion pacing along the length of his prison. "I don't know why I ever thought that allowing a complete stranger into here was a good idea."

His two friends were watching the route the Baron was making, with slightly different expressions on their faces.

"And don't say a word, Muta," Baron suddenly added.

"Wha...? I wasn't going to say anything!" retorted the larger man indigently.

"You were going to tell me that you told me so."

"I wasn't going to say anything of the sort!"

Baron abruptly brought his pacing to a halt. "You weren't?"

"No. I wasn't."

"I thought–"

"Yeah, well I changed my mind."

"Satori finally managed to knock some sense into him," Toto added as way of explanation.

"Remind me to thank him later."

"See, the thing is," Muta said slowly, pushing himself out of his place on the sofa and moving towards Baron, ignoring Toto's remark, "that what's done is done. The girl's here to stay now, and unless you're going to throw her out, that's not going to change."

"I'm not planning anything like that," Baron said stiffly, sounding almost insulted at the suggestion. "I'm just saying that..."

"That what? That you expected her to accept your appearance too soon? She's only been here for half a week."

"I wanted to get to know her," he admitted. "Like you said, she's been here for half a week, but she still hasn't given her name. From what I've heard, she rarely speaks and varies her time between her room, the kitchens, and the rest of the time no one knows where she disappears to. Does anyone even know what her name is?"

Toto looked to Muta, who just shrugged. "She's been nicknamed "the Shrew" by a few of the staff," he said nonchalantly.

"What?"

"You remember that _Taming of the Shrew_ joke Machida made when she first arrived? I think it's linked to that."

Toto sighed. "I'll talk to my brother about it. I wouldn't put it past him then to be the cause of the name."

"Thank you, Toto." Baron had to resist the urge to return to pacing.

"If you want, I'll talk to the girl as well."

"Really?"

"Yeah – she probably feels a bit lonely anyway. But first–" it was Toto's turn to move out of his seat this time "–I'm going to head down to the stables to check on the horses. Can't neglect my job. Either of you interested?"

Muta just shook his head, while Baron said, "You know I don't ride anymore, Toto."

"Yeah, I know. I just thought you might want to see Gideon. The horses don't mind you visiting them."

"Gideon doesn't, but the rest of the horses do. I'll skip on the offer."

"Alright, if you say so. If anyone wants me, they'll find me at the stables." Toto left the other two and headed to the stables. The stables were a large, squat barn-like building, a little way off the house, that looked slightly make-shift when compared with the mansion. Nonetheless, it was a building as old as the rest of the house and had always been a part of the estate.

Inside the air was full of the scent of hay and horse hair; a scent much familiar with Toto. He moved between the horses in their boxes, greeting each as he went, allowing his mind to wander to the easy topic of horses; a far cry from the stressful situation brewing back in the main house.

He stopped by a box that appeared empty; the sign on the front told him the horse that should be housed there was Gideon. He paused and looked over into the box. The sight that greeted him was an unusual one.

A thoroughbred, mature stallion was lying down with a young brunette sitting beside him. She sat with her fingers threaded through his mane, rubbing him gently on the forehead. A content air was pleasantly present between the two of them.

"I didn't expect to see you here, miss," Toto said cheerfully.

The young woman didn't jump, but her posture tensed. Then, slowly, she swung her head up to see who had found her. The abrupt tension in her body suggested that she was trying to think of a way of getting away, but with the large form of the horse beside her she was wary to risk startling it.

Toto only smiled. "Don't worry – I'm not going to throw you out. As I said, I just wasn't expecting to find you here."

The brunette stared cautiously at the tall man, until the stallion picked up his head to see what had caused a change in her, and nudged her. She automatically continued rubbing his forehead, but her eyes didn't stray from Toto. "What do you want?"

As always, her voice sounded hoarse from the sudden use.

"Well, nothing really, but I had hoped to talk to you at some point. And since you're here..."

"If it's about the Baron, I'm not interested." The young woman turned her head towards the horse beside her.

"I didn't say it was about Baron."

"But it was."

"Yes," Toto sighed. "But we could talk about something different."

"Like what?" Just as quickly, her head flicked up. "We don't have anything in common."

"We both have an interest in horses it seems. You told Baron you didn't have any. Interests, that is." At the brunette's glare, he added, "Okay, sorry. Won't bring him into the conversation again. Do you know how to ride?"

"Why would I?" she asked shortly. "You don't get to ride much while living on the streets. Too busy scraping for a living."

Toto considered her somewhat aggressive answer, then shrugged. "You have a point. But I take it you like horses?"

"I've... I've seen a few."

He sensed she was answering his questions carefully, but he didn't press the matter. "Would you like to learn to ride?"

The young woman was suddenly on her feet, despite having to be careful around the stallion. She was shaking her head violently. "Oh, no, I'm not interested. I mean, I like horses and all, but..."

"But what?"

"I've seen enough accidents."

"You could take the lessons slowly. There would be no danger for you–"

"I'm not talking about me."

Toto tilted his head curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"I have ridden before," she answered coldly, "and the last time I came out basically unscathed. The horse wasn't so lucky."

"Did it have to be put down?"

Haru's hands upon the gate were shaking; the memories flooding her mind. "Yeah. I don't care to repeat it."

She moved to let herself out, but Toto caught her wrist. "What happened?"

"I underestimated the jump. I overestimated the horse. The horse fell."

"How old were you?"

"Twelve. Now will you please release me?"

Toto had the sense to hear the warning note in Haru's voice – the same warning note Baron had missed five years ago – and his hand freed her wrist. "You were young," he said. "And you learnt from it. Give yourself another chance."

Haru paused, her hand still on the gate. "Why are you offering to teach me?" she finally asked.

"Do I have to have a reason?"

"Yes," the brunette answered shortly. "Everyone always has a reason."

"Okay, if I say it's because I think you should get out and do something, will that satisfy you?"

"You're still claiming it's out of the goodness of your heart."

"And?"

"And it's never that simple," Haru said. "People are always looking out to see what they can get out of their actions. If it's not for their benefit, they won't bother."

"That's not true."

"That's life."

Toto stared at the young woman before him. "Not here."

The brunette returned the stare with the same incredulous streak. "Then you've been living in a bubble."

"Maybe that's so," mused Toto back. "We've been in the same situation for five years with the same people and hardly any change, so perhaps we _are_ living in a bubble. But you're also living in this bubble, and the sooner you accept that maybe the sooner you'll accept that not all people are the same. There is still good in the world."

"All life has taught me is that life is harsh; it gives you hope so you can despair. It gives you happiness so you can cry. It gives you love so you can grieve. What it gives it takes back. Life plays a cruel game with its pawns."

"With beliefs like that, what do you live for?" Toto asked before he could stop himself.

"I survive because it's instinct," Haru replied coldly. "It's engraved into us, deep into our mentality."

"Perhaps it has been for you in the past, but here is different."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Will you accept the riding lessons then?"

Haru's eyes strayed to Toto's offered hand. And, despite her claims, despite her barriers, something broke. She tried to form the rejection, but the words died in her mouth and instead her hand curled around Toto's. Her answer came out a whispered sigh. "Okay."

ooOoo

"Oh, it looks like Birdbrain found the Shr–" On seeing Baron's expression, Muta quickly corrected his slip-up. "I mean, looks like he found the girl."

"What?"

"Look – down there." From his point at the window, Muta pointed down to the estate grounds. "He's somehow talked her into taking a ride."

Baron moved uncannily swiftly to the window, even with his half-feline status taken into account. "He has?"

"Yeah. I wonder how he managed that..."

"Probably by asking." The two of them were still in the mansion, having not moved far since Toto had left, and now both of them were watching their friend escort the young woman on the horse. "Well, at least she's showing interest in something."

ooOoo

Down below, unknowingly scrutinised by Baron and Muta, the brunette was discovering that five years of non-riding did have an impact. However, Toto was still commenting that she was showing remarkable skill for one who hadn't ridden for so many years. Even with her lack of recent experience, riding brought back comforting memories of a simpler time. A happier time.

"So, did you use to ride often – before the accident, I mean?"

"My mother... owned a horse," Haru replied carefully. "He used to pull the cart and I was rather attached to him." She lapsed back into silence as quickly as she had spoken.

"How well do you know how to ride?"

"Well enough," the brunette answered evasively.

Toto brought the stallion to a stop. "When are you going to start giving straight answers?" he demanded. "I don't think you've given anyone a single piece of open information about yourself since you've arrived. Now, I know you lived on the streets, but it's different here. No one here means to harm you. Not even Muta; although he may grumble he wouldn't do anything rash. Usually," he added as a doubtful afterthought.

"It's a habit that's hard to kick," Haru mumbled, suddenly self conscious.

"Why won't you tell us who you are?"

The young woman looked away with haunted eyes. "Perhaps because I'm trying to escape that past." She looked abruptly back towards him. "Is it okay if I go for a gallop?"

"Sure."

For the first time since arriving there, Haru grinned and kicked the horse into a gallop. Suddenly the ground was flying rather than plodding beneath her and her head became giddy with the wind rushing past her.

'_I haven't done this in too_ _long_,' she decided. '_I should have found some way to carry on riding even after Taro's death, even after I started living on the streets... but then, I was too afraid I might make another mistake and there hasn't been much opportunity in the last five years..._'

She brought the horse back round to Toto. "Could I come around more often?" she asked breathlessly.

"I don't see why not." Toto was hit by the sudden life in the brunette's eyes. Up till now her eyes had been... guarded. Wooden and guarded, but now those barriers had been temporarily shattered, now containing only exhilaration. "That horse doesn't get out much anyway."

"That's a shame; he's a very good tempered horse," Haru commented, leaning forward to pat the stallion's neck. "What's his name?"

"Gideon."

"That's a nice name. Hello Gideon. Why doesn't he get out much?"

"His owner doesn't ride anymore."

"Really?" The brunette's speech had given way to an informal tone; a tone that hadn't been heard since she arrived. "Who's the owner then? I can't imagine anyone giving up riding..."

"Well, I would tell you, but since you've told me not to mention him..."

Haru froze. "The Baron?" '_Out of all the horses in the entire stable, and I had to go and pick his personal horse? These coincidences are just pushing at the suspension of belief._' Out loud, she only added, "Why doesn't he ride? I thought he did."

"In his current state, his appearance makes the horses skittish. Only Gideon doesn't seem unnerved by him, but even Gideon won't let Baron ride him. Of course, horses will see him as a giant cat – as a kind of predator. So he doesn't come in here often because he knows it sets the horses off."

"Oh. I should've realised. Did... Did the Baron enjoy riding?"

"He did. But he's found other pastimes since then."

"Like what?"

Toto grinned at the brunette's new interest in the Baron. "Like learning. He does a bit of fencing as well, and he plays the violin when the fancy takes him. He can play several of the other instruments in the music room too."

Haru laughed quietly to herself. "That puts us in completely separate categories."

"And what makes you say that?"

"I discovered from an early age that my musical talent was severely limited when it came to the way of instruments. I've never touched a fencing sword–"

"Foil. It's called a foil. Well, one of the weapons is, but my point is they're not called swords."

"Whatever. See – I have no idea. And as for learning... all I ever needed to know on the streets was how to think quick and other... certain thieving skills."

Toto grinned. "I'm sure Baron will offer to teach you... maybe he can conquer your 'severely limited musical talent'..."

"No thanks."

"And why not?"

"One, he's a cat and so my musical attempts will be doubly painful on his cat ears and two is simply that he's a cat."

"I take it then that you're not comfortable with the whole cat thing yet?"

"Sorry."

"What is it exactly about his appearance that scares you? It's it what he is...?"

"No... not exactly," Haru replied in a small voice. "It's just that... how do I put this...? It's not... it's not what you think. I... avoid cats, generally."

"You have a phobia of cats."

"The technical term is ailurophobia."

"I'm impressed."

"A friend of mine specifically looked up the word," Haru explained. "She found my... avoidance rather funny." She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "I probably won't see her again." Even though she hadn't intended to, there was a mournful note in her voice. "She'll have left the town a while back."

"I'm sorry."

The brunette looked up quickly. "Why? It wasn't your fault and I knew it could happen. It just seems a bit... weird." She shook her head. "Anyway, my point was that I'm just not... comfortable with cats. It's less of an outright fear and closer to just generally keeping away from them."

"What is it about cats that unnerve you? Because–"

"It's just cats on the whole," Haru interrupted. "So don't try to explain that the Baron's only half cat, because that won't make any difference."

"You're not..."

"Allergic to them? No, I just try to avoid them." Haru sighed and slipped off Gideon, landing gently on her feet. "I'm going to head back now, if that's okay."

"That's fine. You will come again, won't you?" Toto quickly added when she turned back around, "I mean, Gideon doesn't get out much so your visits will do him good." To fortify his words, he patted the stallion's back.

The young woman smiled wanly. "Only for Gideon's sake," she jested quietly.


	16. A Little Girl

Chapter 16: A Little Girl

'_Maybe I could meet the Baron... Toto obviously thinks rather highly of him and..._' Haru sighed and rolled over to stare at the ceiling; finding no answers while staring into her pillow. "Oh, who am I kidding?" she burst out loud. "I can't face him, not after everything. He may not know the truth, but I do. What if he guesses? I don't know how to reverse it. Heck, I don't even know how I did it in the first place."

Her musings were cut short as there came a quick, rap knocking on her door. She drew silent and waited for her visitor to announce themselves.

"Baron wants me to remind you that dinner's ready. You going to join him today?"

Haru sighed and rolled off her bed. She opened her door to see the large cook she'd met in the kitchen's standing before her. He gave her attire a disapproving look.

"You going to dinner like that?"

The brunette returned the look, but didn't answer vocally. She was still wearing the clothes she'd been out riding in earlier that day; it was hardly flattering attire but it was what she was comfortable with.

Muta just shrugged at her frosty glare. "Okay, okay, I get the point. Do you know your way to dinner?"

In response, the young woman started down the corridor without a glance back.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Muta muttered, and followed her. He attempted to engage in conversation with the brunette, but all comments were met with the same silent response – a single shake or nod of the head, or just a look.

'_If Saddlebrains can get her to talk, so can I,_' he thought rebelliously. "I saw you went out riding today," he remarked casually. "I didn't know you rode."

"Not anymore," she answered shortly. She took a left and increased her speed; Muta had to pick up his pace to keep up with her.

"It's good... good that you've taken it up again," he said a little breathlessly. "Would you mind if you just slowed down a bit? I've done quite enough rushing round in the kitchen today as it is."

Haru didn't reply, but she did slack her pace a bit.

"Thank you. As I was saying, it's good that you've taken it up again. Baron said that you told him you didn't have any interests and–"

"Well, maybe I just didn't want him poking his nose in my business," she said curtly.

Muta snorted. "Fat chance of that. He could make a life of sticking his nose in other people's business."

"It's a trait that'll only bring trouble," Haru muttered. "It has already cost him his humanity; I would have thought he would've learnt."

The man to her side smiled as he walked. "Not a chance."

Haru abruptly stopped; her mind caught by another thought. "You're a friend of the Baron, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Even though he's employed you, he still talks to you about things?"

"Yeah..."

"Has he said why he let me stay here?"

"Um, because he felt sorry for you, I suppose," Muta replied, a little nonplussed by the sudden change in conversation direction. "Why, has he said anything about it?"

"It's nothing."

"Why did you bring it up if–?"

"It's nothing, okay?!" snapped Haru. She stood awkwardly by the door, realising that they'd reached the dining room. "Sorry," she added in a subdued voice.

"It's–" But exactly what it was, Haru never found out, because at that moment a bundle of light brown hair and energy raced into the man's arms.

"Daddy!" the little girl squealed, hugging Muta around the neck. "Uncle Toto said you'd be in the kitchens."

"Rosie, did you go in the kitchens by yourself? I said–"

"I know what you said," the girl replied, grinning, "but it's alright. Satori made sure I was safe and he told me where you'd be." Finally she turned to see the young woman standing beside her father. "Who's she?"

"Ah, Rosie this is... um..." He frowned on remembering that she hadn't yet given her name. "Well, this is the girl the Baron took in."

Haru took several moments to regain her breath. "H-how old is she?" she asked shakily.

"Five. She's coming up to her sixth birthday in June. Aren't you, princess?"

Rosie nodded happily.

Haru was still having problems breathing. Just for a moment, just a heart-shattering moment, she believed she was seeing Louise again, like she had done so on their very first meeting. The hair was different, but the sparkling, childlike eyes were the very same. She moved a hand behind her to grip the door handle for some much needed support.

_Princess_...

The last time she'd heard that nickname was when her sister had still been alive...

"Hey, are you okay, Chicky? You look... pale..."

"No..." she rasped. Her hand was shaking. "No, I don't feel well at all. I feel like–" Her voice suddenly broke entirely as her eyesight started to blur. "I feel like I'm going to faint."

The last thing she remembered was her knees buckling under her and suddenly a pair of strong arms appearing around her.

ooOoo

She next opened her eyes to see the now-familiar stretch of her bedroom ceiling above her head. A slight impatient shuffling to her right made her turn her head to see the face of the young brunette standing on tiptoes to peer over the bed. Haru blinked slowly, her mind taking several seconds to register who the little girl was and moreover to the point, what had just happened.

The girl – Rosie, Haru remembered she'd been called – grinned on seeing Haru's barely conscious eyes open, and sprinted away.

"Daddy! Daddy, she's awake!" she squealed. There was some excited tugging at her father's hand as she pulled him over to Haru's bedside. Haru rolled her head up to see the large man.

"Jeez, you know how to give us all a heart attack, don't you, Chicky? You could've given us a little more warning before you fainted," he remarked gruffly.

"I _did_ warn you," she croaked. She wasn't surprised to hear her voice had gone again.

Muta grunted at this point. "Yeah, but Baron was almightily shocked when you collapsed into his arms."

Haru almost jumped out of her bed. "What?!"

He snorted at her response. "He opened the door to see what the kerfuffle was about you clean fainted."

"And what exactly was the cause of the distress?" a familiar voice asked. Haru's eyes flicked away from Muta to see the Baron standing in her doorway, a slightly worried smile crossing his feline features. "As glad as I am that you didn't come to any harm, I would prefer if this incident wasn't repeated."

"A... return of painful memories," Haru replied truthfully.

He walked over and pulled up a chair beside her. Rosie broke her father's grip and raised her arms to him. He just chuckled and picked her up onto his lap, where she happily stared over at Haru, now that she was at a better height to do so.

"Are you better now?" the little brunette asked, her wide eyes portraying innocent worry.

"I'm fine."

"We're glad to hear it, aren't we, Rosie?" Baron asked, ruffling the child's hair affectionately.

"Yep. You're not going to faint again, are you?"

"I hope not."

"Because Uncle Humbert was really upset when he caught you."

Despite herself, Haru found herself smiling faintly. "Uncle Humbert?" she repeated.

He just smiled back, albeit a little self-consciously. "Uncle Baron doesn't have quite the same ring to it," he professed.

"I thought you didn't like the name."

"I've never held any deep warmth for the name, no, but it _was_ the name I was given. There's not much I can do to change that."

Rosie had lost interest in the conversation since her last comment and had taken the Baron's right hand in childlike curiosity. She had placed her petite hand against his, and for a short while became engrossed by the difference in their size. The Baron didn't bother to check what the girl was doing, obviously used to her natural inquisitiveness, but Haru's eyes had been drawn to her actions. There was something trusting in her casual acceptance of her "uncle's" unusual traits. Oblivious to the attention she was drawing to herself, Rosie's curiosity drove her to tug at the ends of Baron's white gloves and it was at this point that Baron noticed Haru's gaze. He brought his spare hand round and freed his right hand before Rosie revealed whatever hid beneath those gloves.

"What?" the girl demanded, surprised at her uncle's actions.

"I don't think our guest is comfortable with... certain aspects of my appearance yet," he said gently, and pulled his glove back so it covered his whole hand.

"Well that's just silly," Rosie retorted back. "There's nothing wrong with you!"

Haru looked away.

"Of course there isn't," Baron said calmly to the girl. "Maybe your father should take you down to the kitchens – I'm sure you're hungry after today's excitement."

Rosie grinned and hopped off his lap, quickly taking her father's hand and soon it was only Haru and the Baron left.

"She's very fond of you," Haru commented eventually.

"She's an amazing little girl." His expression had taken on a more sorrowful air now. Or maybe she could just see it clearer now. "She's never seen me as what I looked like as human – not in the flesh, anyway – so she's never known me as anything more than I am now. That's why she accepts me so easily. Muta was an older friend of mine – and still is – at the time when I... became what I am now. He was about twenty – five years older than me – at the time and his young wife had died giving birth to Rosie little under a year before."

"She's never had a mother?"

"She has her aunt, the sister of Muta's wife, but Muta never quite saw eye-to-eye with her and so Rosie has spent the majority of her life here. But I suppose you could say she's never had a mother-figure in her life."

"Muta's done a fine job of raising her then," Haru remarked, her opinion of the large cook raising somewhat. "It must be hard being a single parent."

"He's had his fair share of problems, let's just leave it at that. But he has done a fine job," he agreed. A silence broke out between them, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally he added, "If you do choose to faint again, perhaps you should do it away from Rosie." Haru was shocked by the comment, but on seeing his eyes, it became clear he was teasing her. "Muta was terrified that something about you seeing his daughter had affected you. If you faint around Rosie again, I think he'll start to believe that you've got it in for her."

Haru smiled weakly. "From Rosie's description, it sounds like he wasn't the only one panicking."

"I'll admit I was... unprepared. The last thing I had expected when I opened the door was for a young woman to collapse into my arms."

"Sorry about that."

The Baron waved it away. "I was simply surprised. You're not going to tell us what caused you to faint, are you?"

Haru failed to make eye contact.

"I didn't expect so." He sighed and moved to get up. "You still haven't told us your name yet either, I hope you realise that. The staff are beginning to nickname you."

Haru's face tightened. She had received enough nicknames from those better off than her in the last few years to expect less-than-complimentary names from those here. Still she didn't offer a name. However many years it had been since their first meeting, she still didn't want to risk him making a connection. If he made that connection, perhaps he would link the small five-year-old to the wet brunette he rescued from the river five years ago.

When she failed to reply, he only sighed again and picked his hat up from the side. "Personally I would prefer to refer to you as something other than "Miss," but you're not giving me any option." The hat was perched carefully between his feline ears. "You don't have to join me for dinner tomorrow, but I will wait for you anyway."

And Haru was left alone in her room with a new wealth of information to think through.

She returned to staring at the ceiling, as she had done so earlier that day; a million thoughts coursing through her mind. '_Dammit, she even has the same blue eyes as Louise..._' She closed her own hazel eyes in an effort to ignore the overwhelming memories playing themselves behind her eyes. '_It's not fair... everywhere I turn, I see something that reminds me of everyone... Mum and Lou and Dad... My unborn sibling..._' Her eyes clenched tighter. '_When am I going to be free of this?_'


	17. Briar

Chapter 17: Briar

Much to the brunette's surprise, Haru received an early-morning wake-up call the next day. She was awoken by a sudden series of knocks upon her door, throwing her from her blessedly dreamless sleep and into the abrupt state of being awake. Having recovered from yesterday's events, she staggered tiredly over to her door and discovered her visitor to be none other than Rosie; the girl she had apparently befriended the day before.

"Oh, good, you're up." The little girl grinned. "Daddy said I shouldn't wake you up if you were sleeping."

Haru smiled tiredly. "Don't worry; I'm not asleep. Anymore," she added, and stifled a yawn with her comment. "What time is it?"

"Half eight. Come on, let's go!"

The young woman allowed herself to be dragged along the corridors in a good-natured, bewildered fashion, unsure what she had done to earn the girl's trust. "Don't you have lessons?" she asked.

"Nope. It's the weekend."

"Oh." Haru registered the fact that she had lost track of the days of the week a long time ago – there hadn't been much to distinguish the days there, apart from market days and suchlike. "So... where are we going?"

"To the kitchens of course, duh."

"Of course," she echoed. "How could I be so stupid? Why are we going to the kitchens?"

"Daddy promised I could make a cake for lunch today."

"Are you sure he'll appreciate being asked to cook at half eight?" In her half-asleep state, the idea of wielding a cooking pot sounded a little too risky. She tried not to imagine what would happen if she dropped a bowl or knocked something into the oven.

"Yep. And he said it would be okay when I asked if you could help."

"Are you sure you want me to help?" Haru asked, her voice still carrying traces of bewilderment.

"Everyone else is always too busy to pay me much attention and Daddy says I shouldn't get in their way."

"Don't you have a teacher... tutor or someone?"

"She goes away at the weekends," Rosie answered plainly.

"Oh." Haru found herself being dragged through now-familiar corridors as the young brunette rushed along to the kitchens. "Is there anyone to look after you at the weekends?"

"Daddy gets extra time off to look after me." They invaded the kitchen; Haru was a little surprised to see that the place was already busy.

"Rosie, I told you to only ask her if she was awake," Muta scolded from his place at the oven.

"But she _was_," Rosie pouted.

"No she wasn't – look at her! She looks half asleep still."

"I'm okay, really," Haru insisted.

"That's beside the point. Rosie, you should try to remember that not everyone is the early bird you are."

"It's okay, really it is," Haru added, stopping Muta in mid-flow before he could get properly started. "I'm not bothered by it."

Muta sighed. "And here I am trying to teach her manners. Come on, Princess; I suppose you'll be wanting to start on the cake now, won't you?"

Rosie grinned impishly, her bright blue eyes lighting up. "Please?"

"At least you haven't forgotten that word," he grumbled, but his tone was good-natured this time. "Do you know how to bake a cake?" he added to Haru.

"I remember the basics."

"That's okay," Muta's daughter piped up from the side, already rifling through the cupboards. "I know how to – I'll teach you." She dragged out a large bowl with a clatter, knocking several other bowls out at the same time.

"Rosie, let an adult help you with that."

"I can manage!" In indignation, Rosie tried to move the large bowl in her hands away from her father, only for Haru to pick it out of her grip.

"Thank you," Muta sighed to the young woman. "Right, _Trouble_, what do we do before we start cooking?" he asked Rosie, arms moving across his chest.

"Tie up hair," the little girl chimed.

"And?"

"Apron?"

"And?"

"Wash hands."

"Yes, and I know for a fact that you haven't. Go on." He looked over to Haru. "You haven't washed your hands either, have you?"

The darker brunette shook her head and grinned ruefully when the man ushered her to go and do so. Soon they were standing at the table in the middle of the kitchen; Rosie holding a wooden spoon and pot of margarine in an impatient manner. "Can I stir the sugar? Please, please?" the girl shamefully begged.

"Oh, I don't know," teased Muta. "Maybe our guest would like to stir..."

Taking her cue, Haru pretended to consider the offer.

"But I asked nicely! And I _always_ stir!" wailed Rosie, bewildered as to why her father would do such a thing as offer her job to a near-stranger.

"Well, what do you say, Chicky? Should we let her?"

Haru considered for a few seconds longer, then grinned again and nodded.

The effect was immediate and obvious. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" The five-year-old hugged Haru and went to work weighing out the margarine. Haru moved in to help, only pausing a few seconds to consider the last time she'd been hugged. Muta kept an eye on them for a few minutes longer then, when evidently he had decided his daughter could come to no harm, he left to navigate breakfast.

"See, you have to make sure the mixture is fluffy before you start adding the sugar," explained Rosie, stirring at the mixture with a look of intense concentration. "Daddy told me that. You can go and measure out the sugar now."

Haru smiled at the little girl's boldness, her hand holding the brim of the bowl to ensure it didn't slip. She released it though – encouraged by the fact that the lighter brunette seemed well-versed on what she was doing – and moved to weigh out the sugar.

"And then, you add the sugar slowly," Rosie continued once Haru had followed her instructions. "You take the bowl and carry on stirring while I pour in the sugar." She pushed the bowl into Haru's hands and picked up the measuring bowl with the sugar.

"Maybe I should do that..." Haru said in a gentle voice, trying not to imagine the mess that could ensue if Rosie's grip slipped.

"Don't be silly," Rosie chided. "You haven't done as much cooking as I have – it'll be safer if I do it. I know what to do."

"Right." Haru found herself smiling fondly at the logic. "Okay then, I'll hold the bowl."

"And stir – don't forget that."

"I won't forget."

Rosie worked on pouring out the sugar; her brow coming together in the same intense, but equally childlike, concentration as before. "Uncle Toto's brother called you a funny name yesterday."

Haru's grip on the bowl subconsciously tightened. "What?" She hadn't even known that Toto had a brother, but something about how Rosie didn't considered him an uncle made her biased against him. If she thought of the Baron and Toto as uncles, why wouldn't she think of him as one? She wondered what kind of name she had already been labelled with.

"He saw Baron carrying you back to your room after you fainted yesterday–"

'_The Baron carried me back?_' Haru wondered. She unintentionally reddened at that thought. She knew she had fainted into his arms, but still...

"–and he called you a shrew. What's a shrew?"

Haru snapped out of her thoughts. "It's a small mousey creature with a long snout."

Rosie giggled. "But you're nothing like that. What a silly thing to say!"

The young woman smiled wanly. "You've got a point." She impulsively kneeled down and hugged the girl. "You're a very smart little girl, you know that?"

Rosie giggled again. "Uncle Humbert's told me that."

"Well, if you're as unbiased about him as you are about me, I'll bet he has."

"Hey, what are you doing spiriting away my daughter?"

Haru jumped away from the little girl at Muta's shout. "I'm sorry, I was just–"

Muta looked a little shocked at the older brunette's automatic reaction. "Relax, Chicky, I was just fooling. How's the mixture going?" He peered over into the bowl. "Haven't you even added the eggs yet? I could've put in the flour _and_ the eggs _and_ got it in the oven by now."

Rosie prodded her father's nose away from the food. "Yeah, well you're always cooking. Now go back and finish breakfast."

Chortling, Muta mock-saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" He grinned at Haru. "Must obey the boss."

"Ignore Daddy; he's always being silly," dismissed Rosie, and she dragged Haru's attention back to the food. "Now you can do the eggs and I'll sieve the flour."

"Sounds like a plan." Haru saw Muta grinning to himself at her response. She picked up the eggs, suddenly remembering all those times she and Louise had invaded the DuBois kitchen to make various cooking disasters. Of course, back then she had had much smaller hands; the eggs felt tiny against her fingers now. "Does your father call everyone Chicky?" she asked, turning to Rosie.

"Yep. Pretty much." The small brunette paused. "What's your name?"

"My name?" Haru hesitated, then a nervous smile slipped onto her face. "It's a secret," she whispered.

Rosie pouted. "That's a silly answer."

"It's the truth."

"Still silly."

"Maybe so, but you'll just have to accept it."

Rosie thought it through, and then brightened up with, "Can I give you a name?"

Haru laughed. "What name would you give me?"

"Um... well I'm Rosie, so you could be... Lily!"

"Lily?" Haru repeated sceptically.

"Okay, maybe not. You don't look like a Lily."

"I didn't think I did."

"Jasmine?"

Another sceptical look.

"Daisy?"

Haru actually laughed at that suggestion. "A small, sweet, white flower... somehow I don't think that sums me up."

"No, you're too tall."

"I don't think a flower name is going to suit me."

Rosie was intent on finding a name though. "Daddy!" she shouted across the room. "What's a name you associate with roses?"

Muta appeared from behind a cupboard. "Roses? Well, I gave your mother roses... so Carrie."

"No, I need another name."

Satori walked into the kitchen from the cellar. "What's that?"

"Rosie wants to find a name that's associated with roses."

The young man shrugged. "What about Briar? Like Briar Rose, from the Sleeping Beauty fairytale."

Rosie grinned. "That's it. Thank you Satori!"

"You're welcome," said a stunned Satori as he found himself being hugged by the small child, "but what exactly do you need a name for?"

"She wouldn't tell me her name," said Rosie, waving a hand to Haru, "so I'm finding one for her."

Both the men laughed. "Chicky, you _were_ warned, I believe," Muta chuckled.

"It does suit her though," Satori added once his laughter had died down. At this, they both scrutinised the young woman, who became quite nervous at the stares.

"I think you're right," Muta remarked eventually. "She _does_ look like a Briar. The name suits her."

"Better than Shrew does, anyway."

"So do you like the name?" said Rosie excitedly, tugging at Haru's wrist.

"I suppose you could say it fits me," Haru replied.

"Yay! Briar it is then!"

Haru shook her head disbelievingly as she was dragged back to the task of baking. '_A new name for a new life... It's sort of fitting_.'

ooOoo

"You were good with Rosie today, thank you."

Haru looked up; surprised by the sudden praise. The day had gone by quickly as she kept Rosie busy; finished the cakes, was dragged along on a picnic on Rosie's insistence, and suddenly the day had passed by. She couldn't remember the last time a day had flown by at such a pace.

"Thank you."

"It's funny; I wouldn't have put you down to be good with kids," Muta said.

"Neither would I," Haru admitted. There was a pause in which she could hear the question for an explanation clearly present. "I used to have a younger sister," she eventually added.

"Used to?"

"She died."

"I'm sorry."

The words "it's okay" refused to make it past her lips. A sort of strangled noise congealed in her throat instead. She closed her mouth and shook her head. "Rosie reminded me of her," she was finally able to add.

"That was why you..."

"That was why I collapsed, yes." She looked away. "I'm sorry for scaring everyone, but I've been hiding away those memories for too long now." Her eyes trailed to her neatly folded hands. "My sister was a better person than me," she added in a small voice. "She should've been the one to survive; not me."

Muta scoffed. "And who is the one to decide that? However your sister died, I'm sure it wasn't your fault." When Haru didn't reply, he put in, "If you could decide who lived and who died, that would tear you apart. And sometimes... something good comes out of the bad."

"And how would you know that?" Haru asked hoarsely.

"My wife died giving birth to Rosie."

The brunette clamped her mouth shut. "I'm sorry, I-I should have known."

Muta ignored her stuttered apology; waving it away. "The thing is, I didn't know whether to blame myself or Rosie for Carrie's death, but eventually I saw that what happened, happened, and there was nothing I could do to change it. Yes, I lost my wife, my best friend, but in return I was blessed with Rosie. And I would never wish for anything different. Perhaps in time you'll find that what happened to you brought about a better change..."

"I doubt it," Haru mumbled.

"Really? What would have happened if your sister had lived on?"

"I would still be living with my family," the young woman replied stiffly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be heading up to my room."

"You haven't even had dinner yet–"

"Not hungry," she called back as she disappeared through the door.

"Aren't you having dinner with the Baron?"

Haru stopped mid-step. "I am still... not quite comfortable with him yet," she answered truthfully. "He gave me permission to miss today's dinner anyway."

"He was hoping you'd come of your own choice," Muta said quietly.

Haru briefly closed her eyes. "I know. But I just can't handle another issue today; my heart hurts too much."


	18. Flying Dreams

Chapter 18: Flying Dreams

"Briar, come look at the butterfly I've caught!" The little brunette came running back with her hands clamped shut, some iridescent colour glittering out from between her fingers. She raised her hands up to Haru and opened them. "Isn't it pretty?"

Haru laughed. "Very."

The butterfly flew out of Rosie's hands before she could trap it again. Giggling, the small girl continued her pursuit of the colourful creature, hands raised up as she prepared to capture it again.

They had wandered to just outside the stables and so Toto was watching with an amused air their progress. Drifting to where Haru was standing, he commented, "I'm surprised the fatso let you take his little princess anywhere out of his sight."

"Is he that protective?"

"Usually when Rosie's around strangers, yes."

"Rosie's taken a... shine to me," Haru explained. "I think she sees me like some big sister. Anyway, by the sound of it she gets pretty lonely here at times."

"I suppose that's true. So, you go by Briar now?"

"Apparently."

"Is that anything like your real name?"

Haru grinned. "No."

"At least we can refer to you as something other than "Miss" now."

"Muta still calls me "Chicky"," she pointed out.

Toto grinned. "Yes, but he calls just about all the female staff that too. It's a nickname he applies quite generously."

"Yes, I've already received that impression – Rosie, keep in our sight!" Haru suddenly shouted. The smaller brunette looked back just as she was about to disappear into another section of the grounds. "So what is it exactly that you do around here?" Haru added, turning to the dark-haired man. "I know that you work with the horses, but what else do you do?"

"I take care of the grounds generally."

"You're a gardener?"

Toto laughed. "I'm naturally green-thumbed, let's just put it like that. I suppose you could say I'm a gardener, but my job is a little wider than that."

"Does the Baron give you quite a lot to do then?"

"I chose to do this – he just pays me for doing something I love. We're quite close for cousins; but then again, it isn't like he's had much contact with other people since he was cursed."

"Oh."

"I suppose it's a little weird for you to think of someone actually having enough money to hire his friends and family for jobs, isn't it?"

"It's certainly not a system I've come across before," Haru replied truthfully. "But it works, does it?"

"Yes. And Baron can hardly just hire new staff – for obvious reasons."

"No, I can understand that." Haru looked away to see that Rosie was disappearing round a hedge. "Oh dear, I don't think Muta will ever forgive me if I lose his daughter the first time I'm allowed to look after her. It was lovely talking to you, by the way," Haru called back as she sprinted down the garden. "I'll come tomorrow to take Gideon for a ride!"

"Okay, I'll see you then."

Running along where she had last seen Rosie, Haru skidded around the hedge and quickly found the girl kneeling on the grass, her hands ready to snap up the butterfly resting on a brightly coloured flower.

"Rosie, I thought I asked you not to go out of sight."

The little brunette brought her hands suddenly together, but the butterfly slipped past her grip and flew into the open sky. She groaned and turned around to see Haru standing behind her with hands on hips. "Sorry?"

Haru sighed and, shaking her head, dropped her hands from her hips. "Just try and stay where I can see you in future."

"You try telling the butterfly that," Rosie said, pointing to where the creature had last been seen fluttering away. "It was the one that wouldn't listen, not me."

The young woman smiled at Rosie's impression of events. "Just don't go disappearing off like that. Your father would tear me limb from limb if any harm came to you."

"Daddy says that Uncle Humbert's estate is the safest place to be."

"After Hiromi and I managed to steal in, I wonder whether he still preaches that," Haru added softly.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Well think louder in future," Rosie said impatiently, prodding Haru. "I can't hear."

Haru laughed. "Message received and understood, cap'ain." She suddenly paused; her eyes flicking to features of the hidden garden they'd stumbled into. It wasn't so much the beauty – although it was a pretty garden – of the place that caught her eye, but rather the layout. "Just give me a moment," she mumbled to the now-bewildered child as Haru walked away from her and towards the hedge. "Is this the estate boundary?"

"Yeah – it goes right around the grounds."

Haru knelt down and brushed away the first layer of foliage. She quickly found a small gap, but on brushing away more of the hedge, she found that a small section of fence had been inserted. "I suppose they didn't want me getting in again then," she said gently. Now it was clear – here was the same place she had snuck in by when she was no older than Rosie. It was strange to think that after everything – after everything life had thrown at her and after everywhere she had been dragged to – she was to end up here again.

"Briar, I'm bored," complained Rosie from the side, unsure as to what the young woman was suddenly engrossed about. "Can we go?"

Haru's head snapped up. "Sorry. Yeah, let's go. What do you want to do?"

Rosie pointed up to the sky. "Can we find more butterflies?"

"I'm sure we can. Where's the best place to find them?"

The little girl considered for a moment, then started off again, motioning for Haru to follow. "Come on – this way!"

Smiling a little ruefully to herself, Haru walked after the energetic girl, wondering if she'd ever been as full of beans as Rosie, and pitying Naoko if she had.

By the time she had caught up with Rosie, the little brunette was already cradling a maroon-coloured butterfly with azure eyes on the rim. She came running up to Haru. "Look at this – isn't it pretty?"

"It is indeed."

"What is it called?"

"A butterfly, I believe."

Rosie giggled. "No, _silly_. What type of butterfly is it?"

Haru took a closer look; the name suddenly springing to her lips. "Mourning Cloak Butterfly." Apparently those lazy days with Lou out in the DuBois garden had left an impact.

"Mourning like... start of the day?"

"No, mourning as in missing someone who's... who's not here anymore."

Rosie's grip on the butterfly loosened, and in that moment it escaped from her hands. "Oh..." She turned to Haru after watching the creature saunter off; forgetting to chase it again. "So does Daddy mourn for Mummy?"

"I expect he does," Haru said softly.

Rosie sat down, her fingers digging themselves through the fresh, spring grass. "He wishes I had died instead so Mummy would still be here."

Haru knelt down beside the little brunette. "That's not true – why, your father was tell me just the other day that he wouldn't exchange you for anything. Who told you that?"

Rosie sniffled. "Uncle Toto's brother. I didn't mean to break that window, but he thought I was messing around on purpose. He shouted at me, and he said that Daddy wanted Mummy to live, not me."

Haru growled under her breath. "When I find out who Toto's brother is, he's going to wish he had left the Gikkingen estate years ago." She snapped her head to Rosie when she heard tell-tale sniffles of tears. "Hey, don't cry," she whispered, and pulled the little brunette onto her lap. "Uncle Toto's brother is a big liar; don't go believing anything he tells you. He's probably just jealous he hasn't got an amazing daughter like you."

"B-but what if he's right?" Rosie sobbed, the tears now flowing freely. "What if Daddy doesn't want me?"

"He's not right, trust me. Your father is so very proud of you."

"And how do you know that?"

"If he felt you were responsible for your mother's death, he wouldn't keep you around, would he? You've got an aunt, but he still keeps you here, doesn't he? He's always talking about how amazing you are and you're the most important thing in his life." Haru embraced Rosie closer, wishing she could find the right words to convey to her just how brilliant she was. '_For the first time in my life, I'm actually acting like the big sister_,' Haru suddenly thought. '_Lou was younger than me, but she was always the one looking after me, rather than the other way around. And now I'm being the big sister I should have been to Lou; the big sister I could never be_.' The thought comforted her, and for the first time she was able to think back over all those memories of her family without it sending daggers through her heart. '_The big sister I might have been to my unborn sister_.' Still she found herself thinking of her unborn sibling as a sister. She had been so sure the child was a girl.

She would never find out now.

She rocked Rosie on her lap, like her own mother had done when she had cried. A small melody slipped between her lips; a remnant of the lullabies her mother used to sing to her. A remnant of times gone by.

"_Dream by night,_

"_Wish by day_

"_Love begins this way._

"_Lovin' starts_

"_When open hearts_

"_Touch and stay._"

Rosie's sniffles died down to a subdued murmur; the faintest smile lighting upon her face.

Haru hummed the next part of the verse, her memory failing with the years creating a blank in her mind. Memories flitted behind her eyes; like the butterflies Rosie had been pursuing, the memories landed gently on her mind, moving from one moment to the next.

"_Love it seems _

"_Made flying dreams,_

"_So hearts could soar._

"_Heaven sent _

"_These dreams were meant_

"_To prove once more,_

"_That love is the key._

"_Love is the key_."

"Briar," murmured a calmer Rosie, "you've got a pretty voice."

Haru faltered in her lullaby. "You think so?" she whispered.

"Uh-hm." She snuggled closer. "If I had a sister, I think she'd be like you."

"Oh no, you wouldn't want me as a sister," Haru replied, thinking back to Lou. "I'm far too much trouble."

"No you're not." Rosie yawned sleepily. "I think Mummy sent you to us."

For several moments Haru struggled to reply. "What?"

"Daddy says Mummy is still looking after me, even though I can't see her."

"Does he?"

"Uh-hm. He says our loved ones never truly leave us and they'll help us through life." Rosie paused and looked up at the young woman. "I think your family sent you to us too."

"And why would they do that?" Haru asked hoarsely.

"Because you were lonely. Uncle Humbert says he thinks you're an or-orphan," the small girl said, struggling with the last word. "He says he doesn't think you have any family left."

"He guessed right," murmured Haru. "I did have a family once, but I lost them. They were stolen from me."

"Can we be your family?"

"What?"

Rosie squirmed embarrassedly. "Could we be your new family? Uncle Humbert and Uncle Toto are family even though they're not actually my uncles... Daddy says family goes further than just blood."

Haru hugged Rosie. "One day I'll have to tell your father what a fine job he's done of raising you."

Rosie giggled. "He's been told that before." The little brunette scrambled off Haru's lap and tugged at her hand. "Come on; let's go back to the house. I'm hungry."

The young woman had to laugh at Rosie's bounce back to her normal happy state. "Actually, I think I'd like to stay out here for a while longer. You know the way back to the house, don't you?"

"Better than you do, probably. But I thought you said I wasn't allowed to go out of your view?"

"Like you said earlier; this place is as safe as it can be. And the house isn't that far away. Go and get something from the kitchens."

Rosie grinned and raced off with an unmistakably determined air. Haru, meanwhile, sat back and tried to sort out what the little brunette had said. The same maroon butterfly as before fluttered down and alighted on her shoulder. Smiling gently, Haru turned her head to the streak of colour. "It's been an eventful day for you too, hasn't it? You've given Rosie quite the chase today."

The butterfly didn't stay long; soon taking to the skies again and becoming only a speck in the azure heavens above. Once it was out of sight, Haru half-closed her eyes in a lazily content fashion, letting the day's events wash over her.

"You were very good with her," a voice commented.

Haru's eyes flew open. The Baron only stood a few metres away, in his usual pale suit and top hat that rested between his ears.

"You were spying on me." The sentence wasn't a question, but rather an observation. It fell just short of being an accusation.

"I cannot deny it, but in my defence it was accidental. I was in the next garden and you wandered into my hearing range."

Haru opened her mouth, then thought of something else. "Just how large _is_ your hearing range?"

"With these ears? Above average, let's just leave it at that." He sat down beside her, close enough that they could talk, but far enough so that he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. "Anyway, if we're going to get pedantic, you lied to Toto." A smile slipped onto his feline features. "I believe the exact words Toto quoted from you about your musical talent was 'severely limited'."

"I generalised," Haru dismissed. "I wasn't kidding about being terrible at musical instruments or dancing."

"But you failed to mention you could sing."

"My voice is nothing above average, so I wasn't going to talk about it."

"Your voice was full of sincerity when you were singing to Rosie, and that's something rarely found. What was the song?"

"It was a lullaby my mother used to sing. I thought I had forgotten it until then."

"It's beautiful. _You_ made it beautiful," he added, making Haru blush gently.

"Then you can't have heard that many singers," she mumbled.

Baron turned to the brunette. "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Put yourself down all the time. Have you ever thought that when someone gives you a compliment, perhaps they actually mean it?"

Haru laughed. "The thought has crossed my mind, but I dismissed it as a nasty rumour."

Baron sighed and decided to move the conversation onto a new topic. "So... Briar? That's what you go by now?"

"I seem to have been given the name, yes."

"Briar... a thorny plant... some would say it suited you."

"Don't you?"

He looked to her. "The sound of the name fits you, but not the meaning. An interesting choice all the same." The feline lord smiled to himself. "I'll have to thank Rosie for giving us something to call you by. It was becoming increasingly awkward to refer to you as "our guest" or other such names."

"Like shrew?"

"What?"

Haru scolded. "I heard the nickname I'd acquired. Why that particular description?"

A slight growl rumbled from Baron's throat. "I'd explicitly informed people my opinion on that name. I'm sorry; it wasn't my idea."

"I know whose idea it was. For future reference, what's Toto's brother called?"

"Machida. Why, is there something you wish to discuss with him?"

"I _think_ I may have promised Rosie to do something very nasty to him," admitted Haru, a tad ruefully.

To her surprise, Baron was grinning at her answer. "You _think_?"

"Well, my exact words were closer to making him regret staying here, but I think the implication was the same."

"I assume he's done something to deserve it."

"If I say yes, will you point me in the right direction and scram?"

"Most assuredly."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You haven't forgotten he's your cousin, have you?"

The Baron laughed. "No, but I get on with his brother better than him. Machida is... let's say, _impatient_ at the estate's current status of seclusion."

"But he understands that it's necessary, right? I mean, it's not like you can go out in public."

"Oh, he understands the logic, but I still can't shake off the feeling that he's looking forward to when he and Toto inherit the Gikkingen estate."

"He's going to inherit it?"

The Baron shrugged. "I figured that this change... curse, whatever it is, won't stop until I become fully cat. And a cat cannot run this place. When the curse has taken its course I shall relinquish control over to my closest family – Toto and Machida."

"Rosie said family is more than just blood," Haru said quietly. "The friends you have here are your family. Your link to Machida... well, that's just blood, but the link to everyone here – your true family – runs so much deeper than that."

The Baron laughed gently. "If only the law took the definition on such a loose term."

"If it did, life would be a lot simpler." Haru sighed and stared up at the sky, her thoughts back to her loss of the DuBois home. "A lot fairer."

"Unfortunately, life has never been fair."

Haru tore her eyes away from the sapphire sky to look to the feline lord. "If you had the choice, would you have done it again?"

"What?"

"If you could go back to that moment where you had the choice to rescue that girl from the river, would you have done so again? If you knew what was going to happen to you, would you still have jumped in after her?"

He smiled wanly. "I've asked that question of myself many times."

"And?"

"And I came to the conclusion that, yes, I would. A life is a life, Briar. I lost my humanity, but I like to think I saved a life."

"But... you've had to give up so much that you love..."

To her surprise, the Baron chuckled. "Yes, think of all the pointless social functions I've had to forgo, all the meaningless small talk and airheaded nobles I've missed. I might have even been expected to marry one of those stuck-up, pretentious ladies, get into an unhappy marriage and end up depressed and lonely for the rest of my life. Hm, yes, I think I missed out there."

Haru laughed a little. "You wouldn't have let that happen; you're too smart for that."

"What's that I hear? A compliment? What have I done to deserve such heavenly words?"

"Maybe stubborn would have been closer to what I meant," Haru amended, but she had to suppress a smile at the Baron's dramatic flair. "Anyway, now you're just being over the top."

Baron grinned. "Muta has accused me of being somewhat 'cheesy' in the past."

"Well I can see where he's coming from." Subconsciously, Haru reduced the distance between them, her voice suddenly lowering to convey her switch to seriousness. "And my point still stands from earlier. Kidding aside, you lost an awful lot when you saved that girl, and she wasn't even grateful. Would you really do it all again?"

"I would like to think I would."

"Why?"

"Because it would be the right thing to do. Because I wouldn't be able to live with the choice if I knew I valued my own appearance over the life of another."

"Even over the life of a stranger?"

"Even over the life of a stranger."

"What if she wanted to die?" the brunette whispered.

The Baron suddenly took Haru's hands in his own gloved ones. "Briar, giving up is never the right option. Taking the easy route out–"

"Who are you to judge what is the easy way out?" she asked hoarsely. "Who are you to judge what is right and wrong? Maybe continuing life is the easy way, and taking your own life is the hard one."

His grip on her hands tightened. "Briar, if you're thinking about–"

She slipped her hands away from his, moving her face so her jaggedly-cut hair fell before her eyes. "Relax," she said roughly, "I discovered years ago I don't have it in me to take my own life. The instinct to survive is too strong."

"You didn't–"

"Yes, I thought about it!" she snapped. "Baron, I lost everything. I lost my mother; my father; my sister; even an unborn sister, and what remained was taken from me. I had nothing left; I was truly alone for the first time in my life. But I lived on; I survived, because I was too scared to end this life. Because, however bad this life was, it was the life I knew, and I didn't know what the next one would bring."

Before she left, Baron caught her wrist, but his grip was carefully gentle. "Briar," he said softly, getting to his feet, "I hope you never again feel that your life is so bad that you consider ending it. People here care about you... Muta and Toto... and Rosie. Think about what it would do to Rosie if you abandoned her. You're the first female figure in her life to truly make an impact; don't scar her by introducing death into her life at such a young age. And... I care for you too."

Haru faltered, her spare hand already moving to loosen Baron's grip. But on his words, she hesitated. "Thank you, Baron, but you have nothing to fear," she murmured. "I know what it's like to lose someone who's important to you and I would never wish that upon Rosie."

"Do it for yourself too," Baron added. "Not just for Rosie. Something in life made you believe you were worthless, but you've proven today that you can do so much. You helped Rosie overcome her fear that she was unwanted; a fear I doubt even Muta was aware of. Briar, you can be so much, don't go throwing that away."

Haru looked knocked back at the sincerity in Baron's voice. "Thank you Baron... for believing in me."

He smiled back. "Thank you too."

"For what?"

"For calling me Baron."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Looking back, I never planned on even **_**touching**_** the topic of suicide. It just sort of... happened. I hope people are okay with what was discussed here; I know it's an extremely sensitive topic and I hope I haven't offended/made people uncomfortable/etc. **

**The song was _Flying Dreams_, which I shamelessly borrowed from Don Bluth's **_**The Secret of N.I.M.H.**_** A slightly surreal film, but the lullaby is beautiful.**

**P.S. Sorry for the lag in review replies and suchlike recently. The past month has been mad, with new dilemmas popping up left, right and centre, some dilemmas I never thought I'd have to face. Also, I know some of the more recent chapters have been... less than uplifting, but please bear with me. I promise there will be fluff in the next chapter! As for my current tardiness... Would you believe I forgot it was Friday? Anyway, finally remembered what day it was and got round to posting - hope you enjoyed it!**

**God bless,**

**Cat.**


	19. Lies

Chapter 19: Lies

"I _did_ tell you that I wasn't good with musical instruments," Haru warned Baron. "So please could you remove that look of extreme pain off your face and remind yourself that you only have yourself to blame."

"Maybe we should have started on an easier instrument than the violin," Baron said, still wincing slightly. After having tried to teach Haru the basics of the violin, he had quickly learnt that when played badly, a violin really _was_ played badly. Especially on his sensitive feline ears.

Haru grinned and drew the bow across the strings a second time, earning a high pitched, grating sound from the instrument. "Maybe we should've."

Baron carefully eased the violin out of Haru's hands. "I'll be taking that. I'm not sure which can take more abuse; the violin or my ears."

Haru just grinned, more amused by the events than she probably should have been. "Okay, maestro, what fruitless attempt are you going to make next? The cello? The harp? Oh, I know, clarinet!"

Baron winced at each of the suggestions. "Perhaps... something _quieter_ to begin with... Something simple..."

His eyes alighted on the hulking form of the piano. He grinned.

"Okay, that grin means you're up to something."

"What could be simpler than pressing keys?"

Haru's eyes also now travelled to the piano. "Not trying at all would be even simpler," she noted.

"True, but that's just being a defeatist. Come on Briar – new name, new life, why don't you try to learn some new skills too?"

A smile twitched at the sides of her mouth. "When you put it like that, how can I resist?"

"That was closer to the answer I was looking for." Without thinking, he took her hand and led her to the piano, sharing the stool between them. Placing his hands further down to the left, he motioned for Haru to follow his lead. "Just try to do what I do."

"Uh-hm." Haru placed her hands to the right of his. Baron slowly played a tune, which Haru dutifully copied. After several times of this play-and-copy technique, Baron increased the difficulty, playing a dizzy little ditty that involved the flats and sharps.

Haru paused and stared stonily at Baron's side of the piano.

"That's not fair."

Baron grinned and repeated the melody, but at a slower pace. "Think you can manage that?"

"My fingers fall over each other."

He laughed at the apt description. "Just try it again, but in your own time."

Haru slowly pressed at the keys, trying to follow his directions, but when she hit the wrong flat she groaned and pressed all the keys in an irritated mishmash of notes. "I told you I couldn't do it."

"No, you just need practice. Here, let me help." Baron moved his hands and gently covered Haru's hands with his own. "Follow my actions."

With the contact, suddenly following his lead was so much easier. Subtle movements on his part told her exactly what she needed to do; on following his instructions the piano began to emit the same beautiful tune as earlier. But abruptly her mind lost interest in the melody and her eyes travelled instead to their joined hands. The contact felt so natural between them.

"What is it?" Baron asked, hearing the music stop unexpectedly.

Haru lifted up her right hand, bringing up Baron's hand with it and inspected the entwined fingers. "What do your hands look like, Baron?"

He reclaimed his hand. "Catlike," was the honest answer he gave.

"Do you ever take off your gloves?"

"I usually avoid it."

"Why?"

Baron seemed stumped for a few seconds by the unexpected question. "Why? Because it makes people uncomfortable when they're reminded what I'm turning into. The gloves make me appear just that little bit more human."

Haru considered his answer. "Does it make you uncomfortable? I mean," she added, taking his hand back in her own, "are you afraid of what you're turning into? Do the gloves make _you_ feel more human?"

"I accepted my fate long ago."

"Accepted is not the same as unafraid. It just means that you believe you're helpless to change your future. Fate is a word you use when you've given up trying."

"There is nothing I can do to change what is happening. We did consult a few sorcerers, but all their answers were the same. Only the person who cast the spell can undo it."

Haru froze. "So your fate lies in the hands of the girl you helped?"

"Yes."

"What if she's dead?"

"She's not. If she was then the spell would have broken. At least, that's what they believe."

"Have you tried to find her?" asked Haru in a small voice. She was treading dangerous territory here, but she needed to know how much he knew.

"We only discovered that she could undo the spell several months after the incident. By then there was no trace of her."

"But surely you had... details of her?"

Baron laughed. "We did ask after the family that perished in the accident, we even discovered the name of the girl. But the lawyers told us that her home had been taken off her because of some legal laws, and that she was probably living on the streets by now. And as soon as she started living on the streets, she became impossible to track down..." Baron suddenly trailed off. "Unless..." He turned his face to the brunette. "Unless you knew her. The incident occurred in another town entirely, but perhaps you met her. Her name was Haru DuBois; she would have been about the same age as you."

"Anything else?"

Suddenly she was very glad that she had never given her name. Because she couldn't tell them who she was.

She couldn't tell them what she'd done.

"Brown hair – I'm not sure how dark, her hair was wet at the time, so it was darker than it probably was usually... I can't remember her eyes... and she had a necklace. I don't know whether she kept it or if she had to sell it, but it was a blue butterfly."

Haru's hand moved to ensure the chain was hidden away beneath her collar. She always wore it for the safety and memories, but to keep up the appearance of having lived on the streets her entire life, she had ensured it was hidden. This appeared to have been the right decision. "I... I think I know who you mean."

"You do?"

Haru nodded. "I'm sorry, but you won't be able to find her," she lied. "She... disappeared years ago. We assumed she was dead, but after her family's death, she was bitter anyway. I don't know whether she would have helped you even if I did know where she was."

"When did you last see her?"

Haru looked away, each lie burning her throat. "Like I said, years ago. Baron, she had no control over her magic; most of the time she tried to ignore she even had it. Even if she had been willing to help, I don't think she would have known how to release you from the curse. Sorry." The last word came out as nothing more than a whisper.

Baron sighed, all the hope draining away. "Thank you for telling me. At least I now know my chances of finding her. What... what was she like?"

Haru thought back to her own past. To the girl she had become. "She was a scared thirteen-year-old who had become an orphan on her birthday. She had no idea how to survive on the streets, so she had to learn quickly. She probably wouldn't have lived through her first winter if she hadn't joined a thieving gang."

"Was that your group?"

"Yes. She hardly talked, so we didn't know much about her. But eventually she opened up to me about her past, probably because we had both suffered a lost; we had both lost our family. Baron, I think she really did want to just die when you rescued her. Her family was her life, and when she lost that, she almost lost the will to carry on."

"You say "almost"?"

Haru shook her head. "I say that because she didn't give up. Like me, her instinct to survive was too strong. And then... when she disappeared we assumed that instinct had been overwhelmed by her grief and anger."

"Anger?"

"Anger at herself for surviving when the rest of her family died. Anger at her family for abandoning her. Anger at the law for taking away everything she had left. And... anger at you. For saving her."

"She's still alive, Briar. I know it."

Haru smiled weakly. "If you say so. Personally, I think she's dead." '_Yes, the Haru you found on the streets is dead. You're teaching her to become more than she ever was. That Haru is dead, because I'm someone new. But... even so... I cannot tell you of my past. Because I do not know how to undo the curse I set on you and... to give you hope on a hopeless case would be only cruel...'_

Baron looked to her. "Dead or alive, you're probably right – I won't be able to find her. I just wish..." He shook his head. "Nothing. Shall we end the lesson for today?"

Haru could see the discussion had tired him out emotionally, but before he got up to leave, she caught his hand again. "Can I ask you something?"

"You seem to have already, but you can ask another question if you so wish."

"You once said that I reminded you of someone which was partly why you agreed to let me stay."

"And I asked you if there were moments in your life you wish you could take back. Yes, I remember that. I expect you want to know whose likeness you bear?"

"Yes."

"Years ago I met a girl who lived on the streets. It was accidental; she wandered through a gap in the hedge and we talked. It was my first encounter with poverty, but it meant that from an early age I was aware of what poverty was and what it could do. She left after a short while, but when I look back I feel guilty. I know it makes no sense, since I was too young then to properly understand, but I still wonder what would've happened if she had accepted my offer to come to the kitchens. She could have left just a little less hungry; perhaps it would have made a difference. It's just something that... hasn't left my mind. And then when you turned up, just for a moment your eyes... reminded me of her..."

Baron looked her in the eye, then dropped his gaze. "Like I said," he added, "it makes little sense, but in some ways accepting you here helped me to feel like I was making amends for it. She probably doesn't even remember me..."

"She probably does," Haru insisted gently. "In the same way that her appearance made an impact on you, you probably made an impact upon her. It's like a good friend once told me; don't put yourself down."

He smiled back."Are you throwing my own words back at me?"

"I only borrowed them."

"Oh, and I suppose that makes everything okay."

Haru grinned. "Thank you." She hopped off the stool and started towards the door. At the door though she paused. "Oh, and I'll see you at dinner."

A smile passed over his feline features. "I hope so."

Haru slipped out of the music room and headed down towards her room. Today had been a good day; if only she hadn't marred it by the lies she had told. But she hadn't had any choice... it wasn't like she could just open up her whole past to him... not when she had no idea how to undo the spell on him. Would it be fair to raise his hopes that he could one day be human again when she had locked away her magic for too long?

Her musings meant she wasn't paying much attention where she was going, and so when she walked into someone it should have come as no surprise.

"Could you watch where you're going, idiot?" the stranger hissed.

"The same could probably apply to you," Haru replied. Her good mood had prevailed from the time spent with Baron and she was reluctant to break it. The stranger was someone she hadn't been introduced to, but she felt as if she had seen him before. It was as she was taking in his dark hair and eyes that she realised the familiarity was actually a cause of the resemblance between him and Toto.

"You!" Haru suddenly, her hand raising in a condemning fashion. "I have a bone to pick with you!"

Baron arrived around the corner, but stopped on hearing Haru's accusation. "Briar, do you have some problem?"

Haru spun round to Baron. "I might have. Is this Toto's brother?"

"Machida? Yes."

"Oh, okay." She turned back around to face the bemused youth. "I _definitely_ have a bone to pick with you."

Machida raised his hands in a plea for support from his cousin. "She's gone off her rocker," he accused. "_Deal_ with her!"

Baron just laughed. "Briar assured me her reasoning was perfectly valid. You're on your own here, cousin." He leant back against the wall, watching the proceedings.

"Alright, what is it?" growled the youth. "I haven't even talked to you. And the nickname–"

"I'm not here about the nickname, but you've just admitted that it was you. I shall discuss _that_ later. No, right now what is on my mind is what you've been telling Rosie."

"I haven't–"

"You told her that Muta wished that Carrie had lived instead of her."

"Is that true, Machida?" Baron suddenly asked.

"So what if I did tell the little squirt that? She had been getting in my way all day and I just snapped, okay?" snarled Machida, abruptly uncomfortable with the topic. "Everyone says stupid things when they're annoyed."

"She thought her father hated her," Haru said in a low voice. "She hadn't told anyone about it. What do you think would have happened if she had grown up with that belief, if someone hadn't disillusioned her?"

"How would I know? It's not my fault if she took what I said to heart!" He appealed to Baron. "Help me out here!"

"I wholly agree with Briar on this matter," said the feline lord seriously.

Machida muttered mutinously under his breath. "Fine. _Fine_! Side with _her_ then. You're both freaks, the pair of you. It's no surprise you're getting on so well!"

"I think you're pushing your luck," Baron said in a warning voice. "I'd think carefully about how you're going to continue, if I were you."

The youth bit his lip, fighting the urge to snap back a rebellious response. "You always thought yourself as the boss of me," he muttered. "I think you're forgetting who's going to inherit this place."

"And I think you're forgetting that _I'm still here_," growled Baron.

"It's only a matter of time."

"You're not the only one inheriting," Haru reminded him curtly. Both of the others turned to her. Not losing her ire, she added, "Toto will also inherit, and since he's the older one, won't he have more control?"

Machida glowered at her, but Baron smiled. "Good point."

Machida's glower didn't disappear. In fact, he grabbed Haru's wrist. "Cousin, do you mind if Miss _Briar_ and I discuss things without you listening in? We need to get a few things sorted out."

Baron moved to object, but Haru's annoyance was getting the better of her. "I'll be fine," she insisted. She allowed Machida to drag her into the next corridor before pulling back. "What is it you wish to tell me?" she hissed. Machida released her wrist; she massaged the blood flow back into it.

"You think you're so smart when he's there to back you up, don't you?"

"I think you're a self-centred idiot."

He raised his hand suddenly as if to slap her, but thought better of it. Instead his hand just furled into a fist and dropped down to his side, as if remembering that Baron was only in the next corridor along. He didn't miss the slight flinch that had reverberated through Haru at his action. The movement made him smile. "He won't always be there for you, you should know that," he said in a forced whisper, trying to ensure his voice didn't carry out to where Baron was. "Sooner or later all you'll have is one moggy to back you up and then where will you be? You'll only have me to rely on and then you'll wish you'd kept your mouth shut. Because as soon as I inherit you're going back to where you belong. On the streets."

"Is that a threat?" Haru growled.

"You mistake me. It's a promise."

"It's a promise you'll never keep, because you won't ever inherit this place."

Machida smirked. "The Gikkingen estate must always be passed down to the next of kin, or the closest living relative. You can't change that."

"You won't inherit, because Baron isn't going to ever become fully cat. Not if I have anything to say about it!" snapped Haru.

"That's something that's out of your control. This isn't a fairytale, Miss Briar. True love won't be able to fix this, not now, not ever." His eyes suddenly flickered to something hanging around Haru's neck. "Hello... what have we got here?"

Haru realised too late that in her anger she'd let her necklace swing loose about her neck. She brought her hand to hide the butterfly, but it was too late.

"Jewellery? What would you be doing with something like that?"

"It's a family heirloom," Haru said hoarsely. "It's mine."

"You stole it?"

"It belonged to my mother, if you must know," retorted Haru.

"You mean she nicked it...?"

"It was given to her by a wealthy gentleman," she hissed.

Machida smirked. "You mean she took it off him."

"She did nothing of the sort."

"Your mother was a thief, as are you. That's all you ever were," the youth replied spitefully. "And that's all you'll ever be."

"Don't speak about my mother like that. You didn't know her."

He laughed. "Know her? Why would I need to _know_ her? She was just another straggler on the streets, just another pickpocket. You don't have to know someone to understand that they're a criminal. She was just like you; a nobody who lived off other people's hard-earned cash. It's in your blood and that's something you'll never change."

"Liar!" Haru screamed and lunged to bring her curled fist into his face, but faltered when she heard someone collapse in the corridor beyond. She froze, having a terrible suspicion what had happened. "Baron," she whispered, and released Machida. She skidded into the next corridor to find the baron kneeling down on the ground, his posture a picture of acute pain. The last time she had seen this was on her first arrival at the Gikkingen estate, but then she had only seen it from afar. This was all too close and all too real.

"No, no, no, no!" She grabbed his shoulders which were physically shaking and brought his face up. His eyes which were usually so alive were flickering in and out of focus; she wasn't sure if he was even aware she was there. "No... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Her throat clogged up and she dropped her own head as tears began to form. "This is my fault..." She heard Machida come round the corner and see the broken form of Baron. "Help me," she demanded, turning round to him. Her eyes were tearing up, but she didn't care. "Please... help him."

He stood staring, shaking his head. "There's nothing we can do to stop his seizures," he said. "You're just going to have to wait it out."

"He's in pain; I can't do nothing!" Her head snapped back around to Baron. She didn't understand what had set off his seizure... the curse was caused by her, but she hadn't intentionally done anything. But she had been _so_ angry...

An idea, maybe nothing, entered her mind. Her hands gripped his, trying to give him the support he needed, and she tried to find it within her to relax.

'_Breathe in, breathe out_._ Take a breath, take a moment and think calmly_.' Yuki's old words came back to her and suddenly she found her own breathing slowing. She tried to think back over all those moments that had made her laugh, all those moments that had made her smile.

_Her first meeting with Louise._

_Her mother's marriage. Being accepted into the DuBois family._

_Riding with Louise. Racing her across the DuBois estate._

_Being teased by Charles._

_Her mother singing lullabies to her. Being comforted when she cried._

_Picnics. Visits to the theatre. Days out to the beach. _

_Simple, beautiful, family moments._

Baron's breathing slowed, his heartbeat steadily returning to its normal tempo. Haru's grip on his hands loosened and she found blood on her hands. Her blood. She withdrew her hands, shaking a little. On trying to wipe it off, she saw that she had gained four clawmarks dug into each palm.

"You're bleeding."

Haru looked up, quickly bringing her hands away. "And you've just had a fit. I think you're the one who we should be worrying about."

Baron pulled himself up. There was still a slight tremor in his movements. "Let me see your hands."

"My hands are not important," Haru said stiffly. "What's important is we get you to a doctor or someone... We need to get you checked over–"

"Let me see your hands," he repeated.

Reluctantly, Haru brought her hands forward for his inspection. He turned over them in his own gloved hands, pausing when he saw the marks. His hold was carefully soft, but Haru noted that the fingertips of his gloves had been ruined by the extension of his nails. Or, should she say, claws.

He brought up his left hand and traced the clawmarks over with his own claws, not bringing them in for contact, but just to solidify the fact that it had been his own doing.

"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "I didn't mean..."

"I know you didn't. I'm fine."

"We need to get you bandaged up."

"We need to get you checked over," Haru amended. "You've just had a seizure, surely–"

"I've become quite used to them."

Haru scowled. "You shouldn't have had to," she muttered. "You should never have been cursed at all."

Baron smiled faintly. "If only it were that simple." He brought his hands over her palms and applied pressure. "That should slow the bleeding."

"You're going to ruin your gloves," Haru murmured.

"They've already gained claw holes, so it doesn't matter."

"Did you already have the... erm...?"

"Retractable claws? Not until now."

"Toto told me how with every seizure you become more... catlike."

"These are just the newest addition," Baron confirmed. "Do your hands still hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"I wasn't asking you if you think you're fine. I was asking you if your hands still hurt."

Haru reddened. "I've had worse."

Baron gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't fooled. "Come on; let's get you cleaned up."

Haru watched as he staggered to his feet. "Can you walk?"

"I'm fine."

Haru grimaced. "Now who's telling porkies? Come on, we'll escort each other to a doctor. There _is_ a doctor in residence, isn't there?"

"First floor, third door on the library corridor."

"Okay, got it." Haru helped Baron stay upright and saw Machida still watching. "Hey, idiot, come and give me a hand. Give Baron some support on his left side."

He moved to help, but there was a smirk; a knowing smile present on his features.

One that Haru didn't like.

Not. One. Bit.


	20. Right in Front of Me

Chapter 20: Right in Front of Me

"So is he okay?"

The doctor chuckled at Haru's nervous questioning. "He's fine, miss. Now can you sit still and let me bandage your hands?"

Haru reluctantly let the doctor attack her hands with the bandages, all the while trying to see into the next room where Baron was resting.

"I said keep your hands still. Honestly, you're as bad as the Baron when it comes to fixing you up."

She smiled ruefully at the man. "Sorry. Is Baron a bad patient as well?"

"Terrible," said the man, shaking his head. "There have been a few threats on my part to tape him to the bed to ensure he rests."

"And what was his response?"

"Something along the lines that I wouldn't be receiving a Christmas card from _him_ that year."

Haru chuckled, but it turned into a wince as the doctor wound the bandage.

"Sorry, I need to make sure it's tight. So the Baron has claws now, does he?"

"Apparently so. Retractable."

"That's going to be a nightmare for the tailor. Mind you, the worst was when Baron grew the tail... But they cheated on that one. They spelled his clothes for an automatic fit. There, you're done."

Haru hopped off the chair. "Could I see Baron now?"

"Go ahead. He needs someone to remind him he's meant to be taking it easy."

"Thanks." Haru wandered into the next room to see Baron sitting on the bed, cross-legged, examining his new claws. He extended them, then studied them from different angles before retracting them back into relatively normal-looking nails. Then he did the same process with his other hand.

"You're meant to be resting," Haru commented dryly.

Baron sheathed his claws. "Doctor Thomas thinks I'm made of glass. He always says that after a seizure."

The doctor peered round. "I don't think you're made of glass," he corrected. "I just remember you're mortal; something _you_ seem to forget." He sighed and returned to the main room. They heard him mutter though, "You'd think after five years this argument would get old."

Haru smiled, but her eyes travelled to Baron's un-gloved hands. He saw her line of sight and moved to bring the gloves back on to hide his hands.

"No, wait." Haru caught his hand, and brought it towards herself to inspect it. The underside of his fingers and the palm were padded, like a cat's, and the other side was covered in a short layer of fur – the same coloured fur that covered most of his face. The feel of his hand against hers was strangely alien, and yet familiar. She remembered all those times their hands had fitted together – increasingly so recently.

"I know you're not comfortable with–"

Haru brought up her spare hand, gently placing a finger against his lips. "I can learn to be," she said quietly. "It's time I accepted that if I'm going to start anew, I better begin leaving my past behind and moving on. And that means judging you by who you have shown to be rather than what you are. Anyway," she added, turning over his hand to inspect the palm again, "at least it still resembles a hand. Look – four fingers, a thumb, nails... well, claws, but that's just being pedantic." She looked up to his face. "And, really, you're not that different. I mean, you've still got two eyes and a nose and... a mouth." Her eyes hovered over each detail as she named them. "I just couldn't see that before."

He gently took both her hands in his. "Thank you. There aren't many people who would think like that."

"I didn't at first," she admitted. "But you've taught me better."

"You were the one willing to learn."

"Uncle Humbert!" Rosie skidded into the room, waving some leaflet about. She stopped when she saw the two adults. "Oh, am I interrupting?"

Haru realised she'd moved so she was sitting beside Baron and quickly moved off. "No Rosie. What was it that you wanted to show Uncle Humbert?"

Rosie looked at the two of them, still doubtful as to whether she'd stumbled in on something, but this thought was apparently quickly discarded. She scrambled onto the bed where Baron sat, still cross-legged, and enthusiastically waved the pamphlet before him. "There's a festival in town next week – a carnival thingy – and I thought that we could go! Everyone dresses up in fancy costumes and there's music and dancing and–"

"Rosie, slow down."

"Can we go?" she asked breathlessly.

"I don't see why you can't..."

"No, I mean all of us! You bring your own food and have a picnic and everything! There's all sorts of stalls and–"

Baron motioned for the little brunette to stop. "I'm sorry Rosie, but I can't go. Not like this."

Haru slipped the leaflet out of Rosie's grip. Her eyes skimmed over the information. "You said people dressed up?"

Rosie nodded earnestly. "All sorts of things. Clowns, birds, dancers..."

Haru grinned and looked to Baron. "Cats?"

ooOoo

"I can't believe I'm out here."

Haru elbowed Baron, who sounded on the verge of hyperventilation. "Oh relax, will you?"

"_Relax_? It's been years since I've been off the estate!" Baron hissed back. "How am I supposed to relax? What if I make a fool of myself? How am I supposed to talk to people?"

From behind her mask, Haru chuckled. "Well, it's quite simple really. You say hi, they say hi, everyone's happy."

"That's not what I meant. What I meant _was_ how does one act at a festival?"

"What about," Haru suggested, taking his hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze, "you just be yourself? And don't even start suggesting we turn back now; everyone's been working really hard on their outfits for the past week."

"Yeah, well their outfit is just that – an outfit. I'm waiting for when someone tries to find out what's behind my mask and only finds fur."

"Why would anyone try to take off your mask?" Haru asked, curious.

"I don't know. Prank? Maybe there's a contest for the most realistic mask..."

Haru snorted. "Paranoid, much?"

"When you've been cooped up for as long as I have, paranoia about the outside world is only to be expected."

Haru sighed and glanced back to the rest of their group. In theme with Baron's appearance, everyone had stylised their outfits so they looked like a bunch of cats. The masks varied from basic paper-and-string masks to face paint and several scarily realistic ones. Well, everyone apart from Toto, who had had a small disaster in the making of his mask and had to hire one out instead, except by that point, all the feline masks had sold out. Instead he was sporting a black-feathered crow mask, which had caused no end of references to "birdbrain" comments from Muta.

Rosie came running up, her own attempt being a headband with two ears made from fluffy pink material – Rosie had insisted on the pink – and face paint. She tugged at Haru's dress. "Briar, when do we eat?"

"When we find somewhere to set out the picnic rugs," Haru replied. "It won't be long."

On her other side, Baron was trying not to panic. "If someone talks to me, what do I tell them?"

Haru sighed and reminded him of their plan. "You're Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, you own the estate at the town's edge and you're terribly scarred. You got a local magician to make a mask that moves with your face so that you could join in with the festivities. Oh, and a tail." She waved that away as if sporting feline orange tails was all the range currently. "Baron, half the people accept that you're a recluse anyway; there's a general assumption that something must have happened to make it so. All you're doing is giving them a simple reason."

"What if they ask me something else?"

"You improvise. Come on; let's find a spare patch of grass for the picnic."

The festival was taking place in the town park; most of the stalls and music was coming from that area and as they came closer to the centre of the festival, they could see that the main source of music was coming from the band stand, with dancing going on before it.

"Everyone's staring," Baron whispered to Haru.

"They're probably just thinking that you've got a good mask."

"They can probably tell that it isn't a mask at all. This wasn't a good idea–"

Again, Haru elbowed him. "Get a grip. Act confident and no one will question you." She turned to the rest of the group, which consisted of most the staff. "Right, we camp here. We'll be heading back to the estate at five, so if you go wandering make sure you're back by then."

Baron grinned despite himself. "At times I forget whether I'm in charge or you are."

"Everyone's been cooped up in that mansion for too long," Haru replied, spreading out a picnic rug. "They need a good time out. As do you."

"Why do I feel like I'm being admonished?"

"Because you're irrationally paranoid," Haru replied. She grinned and settled down on the rug. "Enjoy yourself; it's been a long time since you've been into town."

Baron thought about her point, then shrugged, evidently accepting what she was saying. However, before he was able to move to take a place on the rug, he felt a tap on his shoulder. On turning, he came face to face with a redheaded man.

"I say, I haven't seen your lot around before. Are you tourists?"

Baron's mind froze as he tried to remember what his story was. A moment later he felt Haru's hand on his arm as she stood beside him, and his mind cleared. "No, I live in the estate just by the town borders."

"Oh, so you're that von Gikkingen chap that no one ever sees." The man's accent was even more upper-class than Baron's, but he carried to the point of ridicule.

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," Baron said, offering his hand.

"Oh, bad luck." The man took Baron's hand in a strong handshake. "With the name," he added on seeing Baron's confusion. "My parents went for something classical too, but it's a little less conspicuous. Henry. Duke Henry Frost. I must say, that's a mighty fine mask you've got there."

"It's not real," Baron said a little lamely. He didn't like the topic of his face being brought up.

"Of course it's not, of course it's not," Henry assured him. "My gosh, what do you take me for? Some ignorant peasant? It's quite obviously some sort of magic trick – if you even look closely you can even see where it ends. No, it's very ingenious, but obviously a mask."

To Baron's side, Haru grinned.

"What's the name of the magician who rigged this up?"

"Um..." Baron looked to Haru for help.

"Michael Davies," Haru invented. "He's a travelling magician."

"Of course. I'll have to get in contact with him some time..." Henry's gaze travelled to the masked Haru. "Your husband didn't pay for two outfits then? You had to make your own?"

Both Baron and Haru reddened.

"She's not my–"

"We're not–"

"Oh, how silly of me – no ring. Boyfriend?" he asked Haru.

"It's not like that," she assured him.

Henry laughed. "Of course it isn't, dearie." He tapped his nose knowingly. "That's what they all say. Well, if you're not spoken for, would you mind joining me for dance?"

Haru started to say that she couldn't dance, but Baron cut in, weaving an arm around Haru protectively. "Actually, she _is_ spoken for. Good day."

The redheaded man smirked. "Okay, I get the picture. I'll see you around, missy." He saluted and wandered off, but not before adding, "And may I say, you've got a mightily defensive boyfriend there."

"I'm not her boyfriend!" shouted Baron. He turned round to see Haru and the rest of their group staring at him. Seriously reddening further, he just took his place on the rug. "Can we just start the picnic?"

Haru grinned and passed him a sandwich. "You didn't need to be so cold with him; he meant no harm."

"He was making me edgy."

"He was just kidding around."

Baron turned to Haru. "Why did you tell him that the magician was called Michael Davies? There isn't such a person."

"Exactly."

"What?"

Haru shrugged. "He wasn't really going to contact the magician; he was just making conversation. Believe me, by tomorrow he'll have forgotten the name. And if he hasn't he'll just assume the magician has moved onto another town when he can't find him and he'll still forget all about it. Win-win."

"He was flirting with you," Baron added after a few moments.

Haru rolled her eyes. "Terribly, and he knew it. I've seen his type before; he's not a danger. Once he thought I was taken he wasn't going to make any serious advances."

"You said thought."

"What?"

"You said he thought you were taken."

"Technically I'm not, but are you offering to change my status to that?" Haru smirked, watching how the blush on Baron's face grew.

"No... I... I mean... I just..."

On finding that he was having problems making a coherent sentence, he stood up and offered a hand. "Miss Briar, would you care to dance?"

Haru laughed. "Oh no, you don't want to ask me for a dance."

"And why would that be?"

"Let's just say I'm not the dancing type."

"Are your dancing skills also 'severely limited'?" he asked, grinning once again.

She laughed again. "It's something along those lines."

Baron didn't withdraw his offered hand. "I taught you to play the piano; will you let me teach you to dance?"

Haru glanced to the gloved hand before her. "You had to help me with the piano," she reminded him.

"Then let me help you once again."

Behind her, she heard clapping, and then she realised that the rest of the people from the Gikkingen estate were chanting.

"Dance! Dance! Dance!"

Haru grimaced. "Oh, really? You're siding with _him_?"

Baron smiled. "Just trust me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Your funeral." But yet she found herself placing her hand in his and allowing him to lead her to the dance. In the background, a new song started to play. Haru glanced behind her at the rest of their group; most of whom were watching the Baron and the brunette. Haru tensed, suddenly painfully aware of the spectator sport they were providing, but a gloved hand gently brought her head back to look to Baron. The feline lord smiled.

"Just ignore them," he said, surprisingly softly.

"Baron," she murmured back, losing all her confidence on the prospect of dancing, "I'm _really_ not the dancing type."

"And how can you be sure of that if you don't try?"

Haru opened her mouth to tell him of the countless tutors her step-father had hired to try to teach her, and that he had eventually admitting that "dancing was evidently not one of her finer skills." Haru hadn't been upset by that; simply disappointed. But she bit back the comment, knowing that that careless remark would require a lengthy explanation and perhaps a few lies along the way.

Baron, however, took her silence to mean she didn't have a counter-argument. A smile curved on his features. "I asked you to trust me."

"Trust was another thing I was never very good at."

"Then today maybe I can teach you to trust too. Will you try to trust me?"

Haru closed her eyes and tried to soothe her tensed muscles; tried to slow her scared breathing. "I can't dance," she whispered. When she opened her eyes, she saw Baron was smiling.

"Perhaps you just didn't have the right partner."

The music behind them suddenly blossomed into lyrics; the words sweeping the length of the park and bathing the air in its sweet melody.

_Life, it can twist your heart_

_Put you in the dark_

_I was cold and lonely._

Baron placed her left hand on his shoulder, and took her right hand in his. She was surprised to find that their hands fitted together perfectly; surprised to find that she didn't shudder away at his touch like she had done so such a short time ago when she had been caught in the Gikkingen estate. Or maybe, she pondered, it was a very long time ago; so much had changed since then.

She was a different person, for one.

_Doubt, it can close you in_

_Build the walls within_

_I let fear control me_

_And that girl didn't know_

_Where the answer would be._

She tensed again, but this time at the lyrics which ran too true and she became aware that a blush was forming on her pale features. Her eyes trailed down to her feet which were doing their very best to work in sync.

They were failing.

Again, she felt Baron's gloved hand move to her face, but this time to bring her eyes up to meet his. "Don't watch where your feet are going," he advised. "Just... follow the music."

"If the music had signposts, I'd gladly follow it."

Baron grinned and leant in. "Just follow me then. Trust me?"

His emerald eyes were enchanting, capturing her heart, and she found herself whispering back, "Yes."

"Then jump."

Instinctively, she followed his instructions, and he brought her round in a twirl as the beat of the chorus set in; his hold characteristically gentle even as he spun her round.

_Right in front of you_

_Right in front of me_

_We were looking for it somehow_

_Somewhere we couldn't see_

_But the love was always there_

_It's been around us everywhere_

_I had to fall to finally see_

_That you were right in front of me._

Her world suddenly focused only on the one who was holding her, on those green, green eyes. She forgot about their audience; forgot about her previous misconceptions, and the only thought running through her mind was the beat of the music which echoed so perfectly with the rhythm of her own heart. Or maybe her heartbeat had changed to fit that of the music. Whatever it was, suddenly her head was giddy with the lyrics reverberated within it.

_Faith, it can lift you up_

_And if you got enough_

_To reach a new beginning_

He had asked for her trust, hadn't he? Asked for her to trust in him, something she hadn't been asked to do for... years. But then, who would ask trust from a thief off the streets?

Apparently he would.

_Love, can withstand strong_

_In the final hour_

_We'll find the joy in living_

"See?" he whispered. "You're dancing."

She became conscious of the fact she was blushing. Again. "Oh, hush," she murmured shyly. "You are so smug."

But she realised he was right. What she was doing could pass as dancing. In fact, it could pass _very_ easily as dancing; maybe even qualify as good.

"All this took was trust," Baron told her. "Nothing supernatural, nothing out of the ordinary."

"I don't know," she replied. "Trust is a pretty magical thing."

Was his smile... sad? "It is indeed."

_But the love was always there_

_Surrounding us everywhere_

_I had to fall to finally see_

_That you were right in front of me_

The music began to come to a lull, a slow, as it drew to its end. Their dance also slowed and changed; now it was no longer a dance as such, but a gentle swaying to the rhythm. As she leant against him, she placed her head against his chest, breathing in his scent. It wasn't the strictly cat smell she had been expecting either, but a homey smell of home-brewed tea and mint.

Homey?

Since when had the Gikkingen estate become her home?

She pushed the question aside; labelling it as irrelevant in her current mood, and closed her eyes. Only the comfort of his arms around her, of his embrace, remained in her mind; coupled with the desire to just stay there forever.

_I finally see... yeah_

_I had to fall to finally see_

_That you were right in front of me._

The song finished, and Haru and Baron were left standing in the area of grass designated for the dancing; their thoughts present on only the other person. Their revere was broken though when a scattering bout of applause started up. Baron and Haru's eyes flew open, first staring at each other, then relaxing when they came to the same conclusion that people must be congratulating the band and singers. However, on the realisation that the applause was coming mainly from their group, they began to doubt this assumption.

"Did we give them a show?" Baron asked Haru; his voice contrastingly soft compared to the applause.

"Well, they certainly seem to think so," the brunette replied. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as her eyes strayed past Baron's shoulder. "Oh, here comes trouble. Try not to bite his head off this time."

Baron opened his mouth; possibly to ask who she meant, possibly to return some witty remark, but at that point, a hearty pat on the back interrupted whatever it was he was about to say. He choked on his words.

"Not her boyfriend; well I'll be damned if you're not the cutest couple at the fair!" Henry Frost's upper accent sent the previous atmosphere scattering. "No, no, you've got nothing to be ashamed of," he added jollily as Haru and Baron both tried to protest. "And there's no use denying it, not after that little show."

Haru took Baron's hand to remind him that the redheaded man meant no harm; he sent a grateful glance down at her for the support.

"Anyway, must be off, can't natter all day." Henry started to leave, but then stopped and added, "Oh, and you might want to get a refund off that magician guy if you can find him." He motioned to his own cheeks. "The whiskers have come off the mask. Just saying."

He left, but his words were still echoing between Haru and Baron long afterwards. The Baron moved one gloved hand up to his face and felt the now whisker-less fur.

"What?"

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Struggled with the song for this. First it was **_**Come on Over Here**_** (Goldigger, the small two-girl band, not the song), then it was **_**Because You Love Me**_** (Celine Dion), but then eventually this song, **_**Right in Front of You**_** (Celine Dion) just fitted. Hope you enjoyed it and hope the fluff makes up for previous... less-than-happy chapters recently. Happy St David's Day!**

**Cat.**


	21. Something New

_Something old, something new_

_Something borrowed, something blue_

_x_

Chapter 21: Something New

"Nope..." Doctor Thomas withdrew the stethoscope and started to put it away; leaving Baron sitting on the doctor's wheeled bed, letting his feet swing off it like a small child at the hospital. "Everything seems in order."

"Are you sure? There isn't anything you missed, nothing... maybe there was–"

Doctor Thomas dumped the stethoscope on the table. "Baron!" He sighed and moved the instrument, as if on second thoughts deciding that breaking it would not be a good start. "You're _fine_."

Baron slipped off the bed. "You just don't know what caused the reverse change."

"My understanding of the curse was sceptical to start with, to put it mildly. So, no, I don't know why you lost the whiskers. But are you really going to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"It's more like wondering where I could find another gift horse, actually."

Thomas chuckled. "Okay, if you say so."

"I don't suppose you'd know if–"

"The reverse change appears to have stopped," the doctor said before Baron could finish. "You didn't need me to tell you that."

"No, but I just needed to hear it."

Again, Thomas sighed, glancing over his spectacles at the feline lord. "Baron, this is only one change. Who knows whether it'll happen again..."

"But it's _a_ change," Baron said eagerly. "It proves that a reversible change is possible, that maybe..."

"Maybe you could return to human?" Haru offered quietly from the door.

Both the doctor and the Baron jumped.

Haru walked forward, stopping by the desk and staring over at the slightly-more-human-than-before Baron. There was something unreadable in her expression.

"Doctor Thomas asked me to wait outside until he had checked you over," she said as minor explanation. "I figured he had finished. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Actually, I'm better than fine. I'm whisker-less! This is... unbelievable."

"Yeah," Haru echoed, "unbelievable." She smiled weakly. "What's your diagnose, doctor?"

"Nothing more than what you've already worked out. Yes, he's more human – or less cat, at least – but I don't know how or why." He threw his hands up in the air, adding, "For goodness sake, my area of expertise is _medicine_. I'm a doctor, not a wizard. I don't know why you think I'd know anything."

"But he's okay?"

"Yes, even I have to admit he seems in good shape. The fact that he didn't even realise the counter-change had occurred fortifies that. In fact... I can't believe I'm saying this... but you're free to go."

Grinning, Baron turned to leave, but Haru didn't move. She saw his glance, and waved it away. "I just want to ask Doctor Thomas a few things," she said vaguely. "I'll find you later."

He looked between them, as if trying to work out what was on her mind, but eventually took her hand and, giving it an encouraging squeeze, said, "I'll be in the library."

Haru maintained the smile until the half-cat had left before letting it slip. "Doctor Thomas," she said gravely, "are you sure he's fine?"

"Miss Briar, the nature of the change implies that he's nothing but in the peak of health."

"But this is the first time he's had a reversal change?"

"Yes."

"So how can you be sure?" Haru moved away from the desk, moving round with the curve of the wall. "I mean, what if there's something vital that you missed? Maybe this is only a reprieve or something... maybe the curse is about to get much worse..." She arrived at the wheeled bed Baron had been sitting at only a few minutes before and sat at the edge of it. "How can you be sure?"

"Do you have any evidence that things are going to get worse?"

Haru sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "No. In fact, I expect things are going to be getting better. But... all the same..." She picked her head up. "This has given Baron a lot of hope, hasn't it?"

"I know he hopes this is only the first of many reversal changes."

The brunette smiled. "I know. I can see it in his eyes. But maybe he's only living on a false hope."

The doctor sighed. "Briar, perhaps hope – even false hope – is better than none. Baron lost hope for his humanity long ago... This has given it back to him."

"False hope only serves to make a person bitter," Haru muttered. "I should know. It makes an impossibility seem possible, but then rips it away from you."

"Was this what you wanted to talk about?"

"Doctor, I don't want him turning bitter like I did. I want him to be happy."

"Then let him be happy for the moment. Let him live in his hope, however temporary. Now, maybe you should head out. There's no use worrying over something you can't change."

Haru didn't move from her spot. "That wasn't all I wanted to talk about. Doctor, I think I may be getting sick."

The bespectacled man tilted his head. "How so? You appear quite alright."

"It's my head and my stomach. They both ache."

"Ah, you caught a cold of some type," Thomas said. "That was to be expected really. You've been stuck inside the estate for a while so you were bound to catch something. I suppose I should have foreseen this. Ah well, I'll prepare for the cold to spread; I can see I'll be busy over the next few weeks or so..."

"No, it's not that," Haru insisted. "I've caught colds before. This is something else. This is something new."

"Okay then, try and explain it."

Haru motioned vaguely for a few seconds as she attempted to pin down exactly what she felt. "My head feels too full; it feels..." She closed her eyes and groaned as no words came to mind. "I don't know! It feels weird. And then I feel dizzy at times and my heart seems to be racing almost continuously."

Doctor Thomas gave her a worried stare. "Are you serious? Dizziness?"

"At times, yeah." Haru tried not to think about the way the doctor was suddenly rushing to the cabinets. "And my stomach... it feels like a- a... Well, it just won't settle down. Dammit, there's a word for it, but I can't... I can't remember it..."

The doctor paused in his raiding of the cupboards. "Butterflies?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes! That's it!"

Thomas retreated from the cabinets, smiling slightly. "Let me guess the other symptoms. You're having some trouble sleeping?"

"A bit, yeah. The butterflies make it somewhat difficult."

"You're having problems concentrating?"

"Yes."

"Problems breathing at times?"

"Yes."

"You find yourself laughing at small things; getting happy for no reason?"

"I was worried it was some type of delirium fever," Haru admitted. "Some illnesses mess up the mind. Hypothermia for example... it messes up your body thermometer and you react as if it's too warm and then you die of cold even quicker. I've seen it happen. I was thinking..."

She trailed off as Doctor Thomas began laughing.

"It's no laughing matter!" she snapped.

Thomas wiped away the stray tears that were rolling down his cheeks. "Of course it isn't," he finally managed to say. "It's just that... I've never heard love being described as an illness before."

Haru snapped her mouth shut and was suddenly scrambling off the bed, making a beeline for the door. "Oh, no... no, no way," she was gabbling. "I'm not... I'm not in..."

"Miss Briar, I have been a married man for many years. I think I should recognise the symptoms of love when I see them." As he spoke, he slipped off his glasses and cleaned them with a spare cloth. "And you," he said as he returned his spectacles to his face, "are most certainly displaying them around the good Baron."

She knew her blush was only solidifying the doctor's words, but she couldn't do anything about it. "That's... impossible."

"Why? Because you didn't think you could fall in love with what he is?" Thomas chuckled. "Miss Briar, love looks far beyond appearances."

"No, I didn't mean that, it's just... just..." She sighed and finished with, "complicated."

ooOoo

"So what did you want to talk to Doctor Thomas about?"

Haru picked a book off a shelf and idly flicked through it. She reddened a little at the thought of the previous conversation. "Not much." '_No, not much at all. He only diagnosed you with being in love,_' her mind admonished.

"And how am I meant to take that?" Baron asked.

"I just was feeling a bit under the weather, that's all." She smiled to him. "I'm fine." '_According to Doctor Thomas, I'm better than fine. If only things were simpler.._.'

"I shall take your word for it then." Baron looked over her shoulder at the title she was holding. "Did you ever read a lot?"

"I do know how to read, if that's what you mean."

"I was just asking."

"And why were you _just asking_?"

Baron slipped the book out of Haru's hands. "I was just asking because a) _this_ is an encyclopaedia on gardening, and b)" at this point he turned it around and gave it back to Haru, "it's upside down."

"Huh, I guess I wasn't paying much attention," Haru murmured, blushing again. She sheepishly returned it to the shelf before he could comment on it further. To her surprise, she felt his arms embrace her from behind. She laughed despite herself and leant into the embrace. "You've been in a good mood ever since this morning."

"Can you blame me since losing the whiskers? Think about it Briar – I could be human again!"

Haru sighed and turned around so she could face Baron, although she remained in his arms. "Baron... we don't know if another reversal change will happen. Maybe... maybe this is just a one-off."

"Now you sound like Doctor Thomas."

"Well, perhaps Doctor Thomas has a point," Haru mumbled.

"He usually has a point; that's what's so infuriating."

"Baron, all I'm saying is that you should be aware that you might not return to human."

"Is that what Thomas told you to say to me?"

"Actually, he told me to let you live in hope," Haru said flatly.

Baron considered her answer. "Did he? How uncharacteristically optimistic of him. Is he feeling well?"

Haru smiled a little. "Very droll, Baron. You should be nicer to Doctor Thomas; I'm sure he's just trying to do what's best for you. And, apparently, you're not the easiest patient to care for."

"That he's told me plenty of times before. I believe he said the same thing of you."

Haru's smile widened as she found herself relaxing. She returned the hug, breathing in his homey scent. After a moment, she lifted her eyes to his. "Baron, what do you think is reversing this change?"

"Doctor Thomas said he didn't have a clue."

"I was asking what _you_ thought."

"What I think is ridiculous."

"So you _do_ have an idea."

He smiled down at her. "I do, but it's... silly."

"Not it's not. Tell me."

"Well I thought it was... you."

Haru pulled away from his embrace. "Me? But..."

"Briar, the curse was done out of anger and grief, possibly out of hate too. Maybe the opposite will reverse it. Maybe falling in love _is_ undoing the spell."

The brunette was moving away, shaking her head fretfully. "What are you saying?"

He moved towards her, taking her hands in his. "I'm saying what we've known since the dance."

She tugged her hands loose from his. "It's too early to know whether these feelings are true," she muttered.

"Then you share the same feelings!"

"Maybe I do, but Baron, I'm... I'm no good for you."

"And what is that meant to mean?"

"It means things are too complicated between us," she whispered.

"Is this because of what I am? Briar–"

"No, it's because of me. I'm..." Her hands moved to her neck, feeling the blue butterfly hidden beneath her blouse. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but she had kept her past hidden for so long that the truth wouldn't come. She closed her mouth and looked away. '_I'm falling in love and I don't know what to do about it_,' she thought. '_I'm scared by this new feeling. There's too much meaning for it. It's too... complicated._'

"Briar?"

She jumped at his voice; jolted out of her thoughts. She looked up into those familiar emerald orbs. "I need some time to think things through," she whispered and fled out of the room.

To her surprise, he didn't call her back; he just let her go. She paused for breath several corridors away, leaning against the wall for support. "What's wrong with me?" she murmured. "Why can't I handle this? Ten years of living on the street should have toughened me up, so why does love scare me so?"

"Love? And why would you be talking about love?"

Haru tensed and saw the dark form of Toto's brother, Machida, arrive in her corner of the corridor.

"Go away," she muttered. "I don't want to have to deal with you right now."

"You still haven't answered my question. What's all this about love?" When she didn't answer, a knowing smirk lit up his features. "Let me guess; it involves my cousin."

"It's no business of yours," she retorted.

"The welfare of my cousin no business of mine? Oh, but you are mistaken."

"You don't care for him. You just want to inherit."

"One meeting with me and you can already tell that?"

"One meeting was enough for me to guess your intentions," snarled Haru. She didn't need his meddling words right now. She needed to _think_.

Despite her words, the youth smirked again. "And one meeting with you was enough for me to guess your past, Miss Briar. Or, should I say, Miss _Haru_."

The brunette froze. "What...?"

"It really was quite simple, especially on seeing your little trinket."

Haru moved on hand up to her neck; the butterfly remained hidden.

"Yes, I meant that little necklace," Machida said smugly, taking her panic as confirmation. "It's exactly the same as the one my cousin described. And then there was all those other little clues you left... like your family, and then how all my cousin's seizures corresponded exactly with your anger. Falling in love with him even reversed it slightly."

"Coincidence," Haru croaked.

"I'm surprised no one else pieced it together, but then, you did throw them that false line about knowing Haru. Threw most people off your scent."

"I only told Baron that," Haru said quietly. "How–"

"Gossip," he answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "I pick up a few things here and there. But... what are we going to do with you now, Miss Haru?"

"Don't tell him," Haru begged. "Please don't tell Baron who I am."

"And why not? Surely he has a right to know..."

"It would break his heart to know I've been lying to him for so long. Please, keep it quiet."

"You can't keep this hidden forever."

"And why can't I?" Haru demanded.

Machida moved quickly, too quickly, and Haru found herself pinned to the wall. "Sooner or later, someone else will work out who you are, even if I keep this secret," he said in a forced whisper. "Sooner or later, all your little lies will catch up on you. Sooner or later you'll make a mistake and bring everything you've built crashing down around you. You can't keep hiding forever. And, oh..." He grinned. "What would Baron say?"

Haru tried to look away, but Machida forced her to make eye contact. "What would he think when he's discovered he's been harbouring the very thing that cursed him all those years ago? Do you think he'll let you stay?"

"You don't know what he'd do..." Haru said, barely able to make the words slip past her lips.

"Of course I do. I've seen what the curse has done to him over the past five years. I've seen him slowly being turned into what he is now; slowly losing his humanity. How much of the original him do you think there is left? Is there enough for mercy?"

"You're speaking lies," Haru whispered. "All lies."

"Maybe, but it's what you fear, isn't it? The sorcerers we brought in told us that if the person who created the spell dies, the curse dies with them. It's a possibility anyway. And do you think Baron would pass up an opportunity to return to human?"

"Not if it meant hurting me," the brunette replied.

"Oh yes, of course." Machida rolled his eyes. "Because he loves you. Right. But you can't handle such a big emotion, can you? You've spent too long on the streets, living by your wits alone. How much is compassion worth out there? Tell me, Miss Haru, _how much is compassion worth_?"

She cringed away.

"You don't know how to love, do you? You've forgotten how to."

"I know how it feels," she murmured.

"Is that enough though? If you can't return his feelings, how long do you think it'll be before Baron's patience runs out? Before he decides you're not worth it?"

"Stop it."

"Then would he choose you over his humanity?"

"Stop it."

"Or maybe, he wouldn't do anything," Machida added. "Maybe, out of the compassion that you can't feel, he would let you remain here. Where you would have to watch him slowly change. Every time you get angry–"

"Stop it."

"You would have to watch him change. Watch your own anger and grief hurt him."

"Stop it!"

"You're probably doing it now. When you return, you'll probably find he's collapsed with another one of his seizures." He grinned. "Perhaps the whiskers will have returned."

Haru slid out of Machida's grip and knelt against the wall. "What do I do?" she whispered to herself.

Machida knelt down before her. "There's only one option left."

She looked up into his glittering obsidian eyes.

"Run."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: The chapter title and starting lines were borrowed from Doctor Who, but apparently is an old well-known wedding poem. I chose it because each line can refer to something. Sort of. Well, coming from an English Literature student (at the time of this being written), that could probably vary depending on how much you squint. Nope, no wedding in this chapter, even with the poem being a wedding one.**


	22. Gone

Chapter 22: Gone

"You're beginning to spend more time in here than in the rest of the estate," Doctor Thomas stated flatly as he tidied away the tools of his trade. "Honestly, Baron, it's a good thing I'm in residence."

Baron ran one hand along his newly returned whiskers. "I really had thought..."

"Yes, well I had warned you–"

"You're not making me feel any better."

Thomas sighed. "I'm not here to deal with the psychological issues; I'm here to handle the physiological side of things. Sometimes I think you forget that."

"Sometimes I have other things on my mind." Baron sighed and rubbed one gloved hand over his forehead. "My head still feels a wreck after the seizure though."

"That's only to be expected. I suppose this was the same as the rest of the changes?"

"Depressingly so."

"I'm sorry to say this, Baron, but it appears you only had a temporary respite."

"And so soon after the counter-change..."

Doctor Thomas finished with his equipment and glanced sorrowfully over at the Baron. "You should probably be heading to your room; you know the seizures always take it out of you."

Baron smiled unsteadily. "Do I really look terrible?"

"You look... shaken."

"Tactfully done. Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome."

Donning his top hat with none of his usual flair, Baron left the doctor's office and made his way back to his room. His hand hovered over the door handle when he arrived, sensing that something had changed. Instead of taking the handle, he gave the door a gentle push and it swung inward.

"I thought I closed it," he murmured. But, he supposed, he hadn't really been concentrating on shutting his door properly after his fit. He relaxed slightly on seeing the room was in the same shape he'd left it, although he didn't know what else he had been expecting, and wandered in. He picked up an old wedding portrait of his parents off the floor. He remembered falling against the bed cabinet when the seizure had occurred; it appeared that his action had knocked a few things off. However, it was the portrait that he retrieved and examined with the longing of times gone by. The colour had long faded, but the main detail remained. He checked the glass over for cracks before returning it to its prior place on the bedside table.

The frame clinked against something else upon the surface; something different. Baron looked down to see what had taken the picture's place, and froze.

Slowly, oh so slowly, he reached down and picked up the necklace resting on the table.

The chain showed the jewellery to be relatively old; the links between the hoops felt coarse in his hands but the latch appeared almost unused. Almost as if the owner had never taken it off.

The brilliant blue butterfly fluttered at the bottom of the necklace; its sapphires sparkling in the evening light.

"_Wait, you need to go to a doctor. You've just been in the river – we need to get you–"_

"_I'm fine. Release me."_

"_I'm worried for you. Please, let me help you get to a doctor..."_

"_Please. Leave. Me. ALONE!"_

The memories still rubbed raw in his mind. Strange, he had almost deluded himself into believing that the passage of years had eroded the pain, but it was as sharp as ever. Every detail from that day was etched into his mind; burned upon his memory.

His eyes travelled down to where he had found the necklace, straying to a folded piece of paper that had been previously pinned down by the necklace. He swept it off the desk and only found one word on the letter that should have explained everything.

_Sorry_.

He brought the letter and necklace up for further examination; a terrible thought rooting itself deep in his mind.

The girl. What had he told Briar?

"_Her name was Haru DuBois, she would have been about the same age as you ... Brown hair – I'm not sure how dark, her hair was wet at the time, so it was darker than it probably was usually... I can't remember her eyes... and she had a necklace. I don't know whether she kept it or if she had to sell it, but it was a blue butterfly."_

He groaned and his hands curled tightly around the two items.

"I've been a fool," he muttered. "A great, big, furry fool. She fitted that description perfectly..."

He knelt down to the ground; his feet struggling to support him any longer.

"Everything... it makes sense now. But why would she tell me now? Unless..."

Suddenly he found himself clambering to his feet, forcing his feet not only to support him, but to send him running out of his room. "No... no, no..."

He passed by the round form of Muta; bringing himself to a temporary stop. "Haru!"

"What?"

Baron shook his head, trying to untangle his thoughts. "Briar! Where is she? Have you seen her?"

"No... Last I heard she was with you. Hey, Doctor Thomas said that you'd had another seizure; should you be taking it slo–"

"Not right now!"

Baron sprinted along the corridor, ignoring Muta's protest, and started hammering on Haru's door when he arrived at her room. "Briar... Haru... whatever! Please, open the door! Are you there? Please, I need to talk to you!"

Like his first visit to the room, he gained no response. But this time he tried the door. The handle gave no resistance and he found himself stumbling into the brunette's room.

It was empty.

No, it was more than empty.

It was like a guest room after the guest had left and the cleaning staff have gone through it. The bed was tidily made, with no indentations to suggest it had been sat on recently. The drawers were all closed; the window was clasped shut; the bedside table was bare.

The truth he didn't want to see hit him.

"She's gone."

ooOoo

Pulling herself onto the wall of the Gikkingen estate, Haru cast one last glance back to the place she'd called home for the last month. The haul onto the wall came naturally, almost too naturally, as if her old way of life was inviting her back, although it wasn't as easy as it once was. Her eyes wandered to the now-familiar outline of the mansion; suppressing the thought that this was her last chance to turn back.

She slipped off the wall and landed outside the estate; bringing her cloak close around her as she slowly stood up. She had chosen her plainest outfit, but she was aware that even that was more elaborate than what she had worn as a street-child before. The cloak did sufficient to hide the cost of her dress, but that was all she had with her. Unlike following her eviction from the DuBois home, she hadn't taken anything to ease the passage from her previous lifestyle to a life on the streets. To coin a phrase, all she had was the clothes on her back.

'_I wonder whether they've discovered the necklace yet..._'

She shook her head, shaking the stray thoughts away.

"Focus, Haru," she murmured aloud to herself. "Got to move on." She pulled the cloak further around her and strode off into the town. "Got to move on..."

Nonetheless, she stole one final look at the place she was leaving. Her resolve started to crumble; she pushed it aside and quickened her stride.

She came out into the shady comfort of the town square; her eyes flitting across the features of the place. Automatically she had taken a corner away from prying eyes, just like she used to before she was taken into the Gikkingen estate. The last thing she wanted right now was to attract attention.

With that thought, her mind began to move onto how to next proceed – she couldn't stay in this town, that was for certain. She had gone to the fair with Baron; people could recognise her. Anonymity would be a lot harder to gain if people had seen her before. No, the current issue was finding a way to move on to the next town with nothing to bargain with; eating wasn't too worrying right now. She could survive a while longer without a meal. Perhaps she could beg a lift off a cart driver... it was either that or walking to the next town...

Her musings were cut off as a knife found its way around her neck and she was dragged backwards into an even darker alley.

"Just hand over whatever valuables you have," a voice growled from behind.

Haru struggled a little, but on hearing the voice hesitated. "Hiromi?"

The knife slackened. "What?"

The slack gave Haru enough space for her to bring her elbow forward then drive it into her would-be-attacker's stomach, using her other arm to ensure the knife didn't come too near her neck. She ducked away and spun round to see a breathless form further in the shadows of the alley. "Hiromi, is that you?"

The lighter brunette staggered forward. "Who...?"

Haru brought back her hood, arching her head so her former friend got full view of her face. "Remember me?"

The knife clattered to the ground; Haru was caught in an impulsive embrace.

"Haru, where have you been? You... you..." Hiromi released the other brunette and stood back to get a better look at Haru. "You were caught by the owners of the house... How did you escape?"

"I was lucky. But, why are you here? I thought Oscar was moving on?"

Hiromi waved it away. "I'll tell you later. But you haven't given me a full answer. How did you escape? Did they get the police involved?"

Haru glanced around the alley and, once she had deemed them sufficiently alone, said, "They kept the police entirely out of it. In fact, they offered to give me the chance to stay. I took it," she added, seeing what Hiromi's next question was going to be. "It's complicated; maybe later I'll explain it fully. But the last couple of weeks I've been a guest of the Baron's."

"You've lost your edge," Hiromi commented. "Before, you would never have let yourself get so easily ambushed."

"Well I'm sorry for not keeping in shape," Haru said flatly. "There wasn't much reason for me to."

"Why did you leave? I mean, it sounds as if you had a pretty cosy life sorted out."

"It's... again, complicated. Look, can you just be pleased I'm back?"

Hiromi sighed. "Only if you promise to give the full story later. I suppose we should head back to headquarters. Oscar's found an empty warehouse near the outskirts of the town. He won't ever believe you're back!"

Haru allowed herself to be led out. "But... why are you back?"

"I pestered," Hiromi said simply. "He eventually agreed that we could go back when all the fuss died down. We returned the other day."

"That's all very well, but what's _this_?" Haru slipped the knife that Hiromi had picked back up, out of its sheath. "When did you start threatening?"

It was either Haru's imagination, or Hiromi really did shrink at that point. "Oscar's been getting in a funny mood for ages," she said quietly. "I think it's because the law has been clamping down on people like us; making it ever harder for us to make a living. You saw what he was like when he ordered you to go back to the Baron's house – well that was only the start. He's been insisting that we learn how to thieve by taking it by force rather than just nicking stuff. I don't know; some of the other pickpockets have been saying that he's got himself into some sort of gambling debt and needs to pay it off."

"Do you think that's what it is?"

Hiromi thought for a moment. Then she let out a low breath. "To be honest... yes. Some of the others have seen him around those areas and it would explain a lot."

Haru thought back to the thieving community Oscar had built around him. "What about the younger ones? How are they managing?"

"They're... Well, they're getting by."

"And why does that sound like an euphemism?"

Hiromi's face moved into an unreadable expression. "The older ones are looking after them," she added. "We make sure they eat."

Haru smiled, if a little grimly. "And who says there's no honour among thieves?"

Hiromi sighed and dragged her old friend along at a increased pace. "Come on; let's just get back. The little ones will be glad to see you."

"And what about Oscar?"

"I don't know. Like I said; he hasn't been himself recently, but I'm not going to leave you here."

The warehouse Hiromi had referred to as the current "headquarters" was a squat, rotting building that hadn't been used as its namesake for a few too many years. Crouching beside other decrepit and decaying buildings, it appeared almost as if it had been designed for the sole purpose to make most respectable people walk quickly past.

Haru reminded herself that, as she was returning to her previous life of crime, a respectable person wasn't what she was anymore. This was reinforced as her old friend slipped between a crumpled excuse for a doorframe and motioned for Haru to follow. Haru did so, entering the dingy darkness of the building with mild reluctance.

"How can you see in here?" Haru whispered. Somehow, it felt appropriate to whisper in the semi-gloom.

"I remember the route," Hiromi murmured back. There was a sound of feet hitting hollow wood as Hiromi kicked aside some rotting planks. "Light is expensive."

"Is there light further on?"

"There are some windows, yes. Oh, and you should probably–"

Haru's head hit a low beam.

"–duck..."

"Thanks, Hiromi," Haru muttered hoarsely, rubbing her forehead. "Could have done with that warning a little sooner."

"Sorry. I forgot you haven't been here."

Haru kept her head low; her eyes becoming accustomed to the darkness she started to be able to make out vague shapes in the shadows. The regular cube-shape of storage boxes; a few fallen beams scattered over the ground like huge sleeping snakes; and other shapes that she couldn't quite make out.

"Is it safe?" she asked.

"Safe? It's prone to collapse at any moment." Then, perhaps sensing that that was not what Haru needed to hear, she added, "But no one even looks at this place, don't worry."

"Worrying? Who says I'm worrying?" Haru muttered, mostly to herself. "The building could fall on our heads at any moment... Why should I worry?"

"Oh, shush your whining. We're almost there."

Up ahead, a light could be seen faintly filtering through a boarded-up window; the glass smeared with many years' worth of dust and neglect. The weak sunlight revealed a large room as crumbling as its exterior; crumbling, but not abandoned, the room looked relatively lived in.

Hiromi walked straight in, obviously quite comfortable with the room. She turned to see Haru hovering by the door.

"Welcome home."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Sorry for the tardiness of this chapter - Comic Relief was on tonight, which partially explains my timing - and thank you for your continuing patience. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Cat.**


	23. Nobody's Home

_What's wrong, what's wrong now?_

_Too many, too many problems._

_Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs._

_She wants to go home, but nobody's home._

_It's where she lies, broken inside._

_With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes._

_Broken inside._

x

Chapter 23: Nobody's Home

Haru moved slowly into the interior of the room, feeling the dust in the air clog her senses. How much had her stay at the Gikkingen manor changed her if she noticed something as minimal as dust?

Home?

She had to almost suppress the laugh that came with that sentiment. She was a street child, plain and simple. Street children didn't have homes. They had nooks and crannies and hidey-holes that they considered "safe." Home was... something more.

Home was the Gikkingen estate.

Her thoughts were shattered as a small child ran and hugged Hiromi's embrace, squealing as she ran. "Hiromi, you're back!" the little girl cried. "Have you got anything for us?"

Hiromi bent down and hugged the small child back. "No food or valuables, but I brought back an old friend. You remember Haru, don't you?"

The small child looked over to the taller brunette; her eyes struggling to spark with recognition. Finally the clogs clicked into place, and Haru found she was also being embraced.

"You came back!"

Haru waded through memories, trying to bring up the name of the girl. Eventually it came. Tammy, a nine-year-old little redhead. The little girl, despite her age, was no bigger than five-year-old Rosie. Haru cut off the thought before it fully formed; the last thing she needed was to be consistently reminded of the life she had left behind.

"My, haven't you grown," lied Haru. In reality, Tammy actually looked gaunter than she had before.

"You've grown," Tammy replied, poking Haru in the ribs.

Haru laughed. "I doubt it. People at my age rarely continue growing."

"Tammy's right though," Hiromi added. "You've certainly gained a few pounds. It'll be all that good food you got at the estate."

"Well, I expect I'll be losing it over the next few weeks," Haru murmured.

Haru didn't know whether Hiromi caught her comment or not, but at that point the lighter brunette gestured for her to continue moving. "Come on; I should reintroduce you to Oscar." Haru disentangled herself from Tammy's hug and followed Hiromi through a door to an office-like room. Well, Haru guessed that maybe it had been an office once, and Oscar was just making use of it.

The familiar form of the man who had taught her to steal and thieve was sitting back in the chair behind the desk. His quick, eagle eyes flitted to Hiromi, then to Haru. Haru saw that in his dark eyes some deeper shadow had stained them; she recognised the shadow as desperation.

"Hiromi, what did you get today? Anything decent?"

Haru felt her friend cringe at her side, although no outward sign was visible. "Nothing we can sell. But I've picked up an old accomplice."

The man's eyes returned to Haru. Recognition was slow, but she saw he remembered her.

"Haru? The one who got caught at the Gikkingen estate?"

"The very same."

He turned away, calculations going on in his mind. "How did you escape?"

"They weren't prepared for me to make a break for it," Haru replied simply. "I caught them by surprise." The past five years in his company had taught her to be straight-forward and frank with her answers to him. No flowering up of language would win him over.

Oscar's expression darkened, but Haru received the impression it wasn't her answer that had set it off. "Get out! You're no longer one of us!"

"Oscar!" Hiromi interrupted.

"I said _leave_! You don't belong here!"

Hiromi dragged Haru out of the room, slamming the door and muffling the man's shouts.

"What was that about?" Haru demanded.

"Like I said; he's not the same."

Haru glanced back to the door. "You can say that again." She pinned her cloak back around her. "Well, I'm sorry for causing all this. I should probably be heading out."

Hiromi grabbed Haru's wrist. "Are you mad? I'm not going to throw you out just because Oscar's in one of his funny moods. You just wait; I'll be able to talk him around. Anyway, for the moment stay here. You need somewhere to sleep at least."

Haru smiled faintly. "Thanks, Hiromi."

The evening rolled in, and with that came the darkening of the room. The already weak sunlight passed away, dropping the room into even dinger conditions and chilling the air. Dragging her cloak close around her to preserve the last dregs of warmth, Haru listened to Hiromi's recount of the last few weeks. It seemed very little had happened apart from the change in Oscar's behaviour.

"Does anyone even know why he's in such a foul mood this morning?" Hiromi asked, directing her question to the other kids around them.

"We think he got caught," a couple of small boys said timidly. "We were in the same street as he was, and he tried to threaten someone..."

"Probably the same way I did to you," Hiromi added, trying to make it clearer for Haru.

"But the man managed to turn the tables on Oscar," the second of the boys finished. "He managed to get the knife off him. I think he was threatening Oscar with turning him over to the police."

"How...?"

"I don't know how he talked his way out of it, but when we questioned Oscar later, he just growled at us and said he managed to make a deal with the guy."

"Why doesn't that fill me with confidence?" muttered Hiromi. "I wonder what rash decision he made then."

ooOoo

"Why can't she stay?" roared Hiromi. "She worked with us for five years; she's one of the best out of all of us! We could do with the extra expertise!"

The next morning had brought, with the frail morning sun, arguments from the day before, taking the dust from last evening and throwing it up into the air. The tension, unlike the slowly filtering sunlight, had arrived on swifter wings, demolishing the early peace and scattering round the room.

Oscar was finding it increasingly difficult to combat Hiromi's persuasive arguments. "She's not one of us anymore!"

"She was only with them for a few weeks!" snapped the lighter brunette. "And she left of her own accord."

"She's changed!" the man retorted. "Look at her – in her fancy clothes and 'proper' posture–"

Haru cringed as the topic of her appearance was brought up again. And, inside, she was afraid Oscar was right in more ways than he thought.

"You really think that what she wears is that important? She's worn stuff like that before when she's conning, so what?"

"Did you even ask her why she left the estate?"

"It was–"

"Complicated," Haru finished before Hiromi could say any more. "It wasn't because I was caught stealing either. Don't worry; you're not going to have the law on your tail."

"And what do I have to prove that? Your word?"

Haru heard the sneer in the question; she had to battle back the urge to snap back a response and probably say something she'd regret later on. "Unless you'd like to go to the police station," she said as calmly as she could bring herself to, "my word is the best guarantee you're going to get. Savvy?"

A smile quirked at the edge of her lips, seeing Oscar caught.

"You don't belong here–"

"Funny, that's exactly what they said up at the estate."

"You really think we can trust you?"

Hiromi spoke up. "I do. She's been with us longer than most... Surely that speaks for something?"

"And do you think I really want to have to keep an eye on her? She's been a part of the Gikkingen estate; she's been contaminated by her time there, she..." Suddenly, he trailed off. His glittering dark eyes began to recalculate something. "She can stay."

Hiromi punched the air joyfully, but Haru was not so quick to accept the abrupt change in decision. "Why the sudden change?" she demanded.

"Are you saying you don't like my decision?" threatened Oscar.

"No, but..."

Hiromi pulled Haru away. "She's very grateful," she insisted, shushing anymore protests from her taller friend. "Very grateful," she repeated.

Once they were suitably out of earshot, Hiromi hissed, "Why were you questioning him? In his funny mood, he'd likely just take it back!"

Haru huffed. "Hiromi, have you lost all your backbone? There clearly some reason why he changed his mind so quickly... and I'm not so sure whether I like it or not. Once you would have seen it too."

"I just don't want you to be thrown out."

"He's hiding something. He thought of some reason why he wants me here... something to do with keeping an eye on me..."

"Must you make everything so complicated?"

"Yes, because I don't like being used."

Hiromi sighed. "Haru, I don't like it any more than you do–"

"So why didn't you speak up?"

"Because arguing with him wouldn't have made any difference in discovering the truth!" snapped Hiromi. The smaller young woman glanced around, as if surprised by her own sudden rising in voice. She lowered her voice. "Look, if we want to find the truth, we'll have to do it behind his back. But right now, just act normal."

Hiromi started to move out, heading to the corridor that would lead outside, but Haru hesitated. Her eyes lingered on the knife Hiromi had almost casually picked up.

"Are we going to need that?" Haru asked.

Hiromi glanced down to her weapon. "Oscar expects us to take one along." She saw her friend's expression. "You're really not comfortable with the whole concept, are you?"

"Add a whole world of 'not comfortable' and double it," muttered Haru.

Hiromi sighed and stored the knife on a shelf and continued out. "Happy?"

"Much."

As they slunk back into the darkness of the corridor, Hiromi spoke up again, "You know, I'm not the only one to have changed."

Haru walked into another one of the scattered beams on the floor in her sudden loss of concentration. "Really?"

"Mm. You've changed as well." By the direction of her voice, it sounded as if she had turned her head to face her. "You've forgotten what it's like to be truly hungry."

Haru tried to laugh it off. "In a few weeks? You've got to be kidding."

"Does it sound like I am? Are you going to be okay with today?"

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Well..." Hiromi's voice became uncomfortable. "You know... it's been a while since you've last thieved and you might be... uneasy with the whole principle of stealing now..."

"Hiromi, I need to thieve as much as you do in order to survive now. I'm not going to squirm away from that."

They came out into the all-too-bright light of the day; out into that decrepit and started heading towards the centre of town. Haru felt that they both looked out-of-place; skulking through the same town she had walked confidently along while with Baron.

She cut off the thought. Again. That wasn't her home anymore, she told herself; there was no reason she should be thinking about that place...

And yet she couldn't get it out of her mind.

"I take it you solved your ailurophobia then?" Hiromi added after a few moments of silence.

"I thought I explained to you the reason why I avoided cats–" Haru stopped herself and, halting, turned around to see her friend. "What do you mean by that?" she added, sensing a deeper meaning to the question.

Hiromi shrugged in a way that didn't reach her eyes. "No reason. It's just that it seems you stayed at the Baron's estate for several weeks without complaint, despite the Baron's–"

"Despite the Baron's _what_?" snapped Haru. "His appearance?"

"Nothing," muttered the smaller brunette.

"No, Hiromi, finish your sentence. Despite the Baron's what?"

"I was going to say despite his feline aspects, actually," Hiromi replied tautly. "When you first saw him, all you could do was scream. And don't lie because I was there and I got front row seats to your impressive lung capacity. So what changed?"

Haru started forward again, feeling the tables tip themselves against her. "Nothing," she muttered, like Hiromi had done only seconds earlier. "What even makes you think anything did change?"

"Don't give me that," retorted Hiromi. She followed her friend. "Something did, because you're different. Something happened, and you're not telling me."

"Does it really matter–?"

"Yes. It does because you won't tell me."

"It's complicated."

"That's all you've said about it so far!" shouted Hiromi. Several passersby turned to stare, but Hiromi didn't really care. "I let you get away with it in front of Oscar, because I wanted you back in the group, but you still can't bring yourself to explain! Why won't you tell me?"

Haru surged on through the crowd. She asked in a tight voice, "Later, Hiromi. Don't you think we should be getting on with business?"

Hiromi caught up with Haru and suitably lowered her voice. "Is that all you're going to say on the matter? No explanations, no nothing? Just 'later'?"

Haru stopped by the edge of the town square, surveying the layout of the market. "If you carry on stressing out, we're going to attract attention," she said in a dead voice.

Hiromi growled, but eventually let the topic go. "Alright," she sulked. "What are we going to do?"

Haru pulled down the hood that had kept the features of her face covered, arching her head a little proudly. "What about the usual Hiromi and Haru special? I even look the part today."

"Okay. You're distracting then, I take it?"

Haru smiled a little wanly. "It might break me slowly back into this lifestyle." The smile widened momentarily before she strode off confidently towards a stall decked with elaborate jewellery. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hiromi head to the same stall, but from another angle to ensure she wasn't spotted.

"And what can I get you, young lady?"

Haru smiled a little again, but this time at the polite address. "I'm just browsing," she said sweetly to the elderly woman manning the stall.

"For anything special?"

The usual lie about it being her mother's birthday died on her tongue. "No, not really," she said truthfully. She fingered a slim necklace with a blue rose. "Just browsing." She smiled honestly at the woman. "I don't really know much about jewellery or precious stones," she admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "My mother was a quilter actually."

"So I take it your father wasn't in the gemstone business then?" the lady remarked, a crooked, but friendly smile lighting her features.

"No... No, my father was..." Haru trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, he's not around anymore." She attempted to return the smile. "But it doesn't matter. I heard certain precious stones were associated with meanings," she added, turning around the subject. "Like what?"

"Well, it really varies depending on who you ask, but this one–" she picked up an amber stone, "– is topaz. It's associated with healing, light and sanity."

Haru laughed. "Sanity," she echoed. "That could be useful."

The lady smiled wanly. "Quite. This is garnet." The stone she had picked up this time was a deep, ravishing red. "It's said to protect the wearer from nightmares and offer guidance through the darkest night."

Haru took the stone and inspected it. "I don't suffer from nightmares though," she said softly.

The woman chuckled. "Sorry, you just had a look that reminded me of my son when he was your age. He had a few bad nights after that."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, and there's a name for that look you're wearing. I believe it's called lovesickness."

Haru put the stone down. "I'm not in love," she said quietly. Her eyes glanced to where Hiromi was approaching the cart, to make sure her friend hadn't heard the diagnosis. It appeared the other brunette was oblivious.

"Sure you're not." The seller could see that Haru's eyes had wondered to a sapphire endowed with a star in the middle; a beautiful example of an asterism. "That's called a star sapphire," she added.

"I know, it's just that I've seen that effect before."

"Precious stones with the asterism have a special place among folklore," the lady put in, picking up the gemstone. "They were said to be a powerful love charm."

Haru laughed nervously and waved the stone away. "I don't need it. Love is something I'm trying to avoid."

"Is that so?"

Haru almost jumped a foot in the air on hearing a masculine voice address her, not least because she recognised it. She struggled for several seconds on placing that voice, before the redheaded form of Henry Frost moved beside her. "Even with that dashing young Baron at your side? Talking about him, where is the fellow?"

"Away," Haru answered cryptically. She was trying to keep an eye on the skulking form of Hiromi and yet not draw attention to her. It appeared she had to carry on distracting for a little while longer.

"Has he abandoned you?" Henry Frost leant back on the stall, looking down at the dark brunette. "I can't believe that after seeing you two together at the fair."

Haru hoped that her blush wasn't showing. "Looks can be deceiving," she muttered.

"Well, where is the chap? Away; away where?"

"Just away."

The man grinned. "Oh, I get it. You've had a falling out."

"We haven't had a... a _falling out_," persisted Haru. "I just needed some space."

"That's never a good omen."

"And what would you know about love?" she snapped, bringing her hood decisively over her head. Regardless of whether Hiromi had finished her raid, Haru moved to go. To her surprise, a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Seriously, where is he? Because, as I'm sure you're aware, it's not safe for a young lady to be roaming the streets."

Haru smiled; the action was barely visible beneath the hood. "I can handle whatever trouble comes my way. There's no need for you to worry about me, Duke Frost."

Her wrist was released. "If you say so. But just keep what I said in mind. Oh, and one last thing."

"Yes?" She kept her tone clipped, to give the impression that she had business elsewhere.

"You never gave a name."

Haru ran her mind over the memories and realised he had never heard her name. She paused. "It's..." Briar or Haru? She saw Hiromi across the marketplace, motioning for her to get a move on. "It doesn't matter." She sprinted freely across the square, coming to a breathless stop beside her friend.

"What's happened? You look pale. Did you know that man?"

"Doesn't matter," Haru repeated. "Really, it doesn't matter."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Lyrics are Avril Lavigne's **_**Nobody's Home**_**. A bit louder than my usual music, but this helped me write these scenes. I hope your upcoming Palm Sunday is good and, as always, God bless. **

**Cat.**


	24. A Life of Crime

Chapter 24: A Life of Crime

Hiromi looked over her friend. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," said Haru sharply.

"Who was that man anyway?"

"No one important. Now come on, before that lady discovers anything's gone missing." Haru dragged the other brunette away from the marketplace. "What did you manage to get, by the way?"

"A few decent items. We should probably try the stalls by the town gates though."

Haru looked doubtfully at the stash Hiromi had managed to 'liberate'. "Isn't that enough for today?"

"I always try to get a little bit extra, just in case some of the others haven't had a good day. You think you can do the lady act again?"

"I'm sure I can cope."

The town gates were a pair of grand wooden gates that were a familiar sight to anyone who entered or exited the settlement; at least by normal or legal means. Being the main way through the town, the gates were always a fast-flowing river of traffic that threatened to overwhelm the common pedestrian. Carts and carriages and horses raced along the cobbled road; rarely mindful of others. If you were on foot and you were in the road, you were expected to be the one to move.

It was to this busy scene that Haru and Hiromi arrived at; the crowded nature of that region making it easy to disappear into the swarm of people ferrying here and there. Almost too easy, Haru noted as she pushed her way behind Hiromi, nearly losing her friend a couple of times.

They reached an alleyway; breaking free from the throng and taking a few moments to regain their bearings.

"We might not even need me to play distraction," Haru remarked, smoothing out her dress almost subconsciously. "No one's going to notice one more person in the crowd."

"Yeah, but do you really want to risk it?"

"Point made." Haru sighed and straightened her posture to more fit the stature of a noble woman. "The usual plan then?"

"It normally works."

Haru stepped back into the free-flowing crowd, sensing Hiromi naturally slip behind her, struggling a lot less than Haru was.

The stalls on the whole were situated on the edge of the crowd; just beside the vicious traffic of the road. Haru picked out one of the few stalls selling something that she could probably resell for a decent price – a stall with various watches – and nonchalantly drifted towards it.

"Good day, ma'am."

Haru nodded vaguely in response to the greeting. She held no particular interest in watches, but they were usually worth something. "Good day, sir."

"You like watches? I've got plenty here. Want one for the boyfriend?"

Haru resisted the urge to laugh at that remark. "I'm just wandering."

"Ah, so no boyfriend?"

Haru fixed the stall-owner with what she had perfected as an icy glare. "That is none of your business."

"Sure it isn't, lady. Say, what do you think of this watch?" He held up a fog watch, the tick-tock of the minute hand drowned out by the bustle of the multitude around them. "A beauty, ain't it?"

"Oh, I don't know much about watches."

"Really? Well let me explain to you..."

Haru's attention waned; she found herself staring instead into the hypnotising stir of the traffic behind the stall. At least when she went to a jewellery stall, she could learn something interesting about the gemstones. Watches were nothing more than pieces of complicated clockwork owned by the gentry and other people who had more money than they knew what to do with.

Her line of thought drifted apart as a grey cat started to wander across the dangerous street. But what caught her attention was the fact that in its mouth it held a simple yellow box tied together with a red ribbon.

"...and so, because it's driven by a spring, it has to be wound periodically..."

Haru realised she had been absent-mindedly nodding, but as she watched the feline crossing the road drop the package, alarm bells began to ran in the back of her mind.

"...and then a device called the escapement releases the watch's wheels..."

"Excuse me," muttered Haru, moving away from the stall. "I'm really very interested," she called back as she started into a run, "but I'll just be a moment!"

She had always been fast, but even for her, reaching the cat was a close shave. Hoisting the hem of her dress up with one hand, she reached down and snagged the sparkling gold collar of the cat; dragging it off the ground and into her arms in the same movement. To her left, she heard the shouts and curses of the drivers on the road as she suddenly appeared before them. A horse's hulking body passed mere inches away from her body and as she passed from the perilous road and onto the pavement, she found herself slipping headfirst into a bush. She arrived, sprawling, on the other side.

A torrent of curses spurted from her mouth as various parts of her body began to complain. She slowly picked herself off the ground.

"Of all the dumb, _blind_ cats..." Haru hissed as she inspected a reasonably mild graze on her elbow. She glared at the feline in question. "Real smart, cat," she growled. "Why don't you look where you're going in future? I almost killed myself there!"

Haru had previously thought the cat was grey, but on closer inspection she saw the coat was a more pearly-purple colour. Not only that, but the collar appeared to be made of the finest gold. The cat was now standing on its hind legs, and gave a sort of feline bow towards the brunette.

"I thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," Haru said stiffly.

The cat froze. "Can you–"

"Yes, I can understand you. And, no, before you ask, I didn't manage to pick up your package, but really I'm rather impressed that I even managed to save you at all. And, again, no, I don't want anything as a reward, before you ask."

The cat quickly shut his mouth. "You've really got this worked out, haven't you?"

"Pretty much." Haru looked up to see a frantic Hiromi. "Oh, and you should probably leave before my hysterical friend arrives and starts berating me for pulling such a stunt."

"Okay. And once again, thank you."

"Haru!" Hiromi screeched. "Are you mad? What possessed you to do such a crazy thing?"

The shorthair did a double take – or as close to a double take as a cat could – and repeated, "Haru? Are you the same Har–?"

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Hiromi's shouts drowned out the remainder of the cat's question.

"Shoo," Haru hissed. She pushed the feline away so that by the time Hiromi had clambered over the hedge, it was just Haru.

"Where is that cat; I'm going to skin it alive!"

"It's gone. Hiromi, could you calm down? I'm fine."

"Apart from being mentally deprived," Hiromi shot back. "Why did you do that?"

"The cat was about to get killed."

"So what? It was just one dumb cat."

"It was just a rash decision, okay?" Haru pushed herself off the floor, glancing down at her now ruined attire.

"And look at what you've done to your dress... oh, it's been torn..."

"I think the life of a cat is a little more important than the state of my dress. At least I look like part of Oscar's little gang now," Haru added, a snide mutinously. "He can't say I look like part of the nobility anymore."

"Where did the cat disappear off to anyway?"

"If it's got any common sense; home." Haru brushed off the few specks of dust and dirt that would freely come off her clothing. "Come on; let's get back." She smiled. "We've probably done our day's worth and you promised that we could try to discover what it is Oscar's hiding."

ooOoo

"You're sure he's out?"

"Yes," hissed Hiromi for the third time. "He spends about as much time as we do out. Except we've finished early today, so we should have a little time before he returns."

"_Should_?"

"Hey, I'm not psychic. Maybe he's had a good day today as well and will come back early."

Haru walked into the same beam as before. Muttering curses under her breath as she rubbed at the bruise that was only going to turn a more interesting shade after the repeated beating, she added, "You're _not helping_."

"Would you rather I lied and said it's perfectly safe?"

"I'm almost inclined to say yes."

They came out into the now-empty room, lit by the sunlight barely filtering through the window. After establishing that there was no one about, the two girls snuck into the office room.

"See, it's perfectly normal," Hiromi said, gesturing to the empty desk. "There's nothing here."

Haru knelt down and examined the drawers of the desk. "Some of these are locked though. Why would Oscar keep an empty drawer locked unless he had something to hide?"

"Who even said that he's the one who locked it? Maybe the last occupants of this place locked it."

Haru peered through the keyhole, but on only seeing darkness, sat back on the floor and tested at the hinges. "Well, it seems pretty sturdy," she commented.

"You don't even know if there's anything in any of the drawers."

"No," said Haru, taking out a pin and inserting it into the keyhole, "but I can soon find out."

"I see you haven't lost your touch with locks then."

"I don't know. I haven't tried this in ages." Haru twisted the pin and about a minute later, she heard the tell-tale click of success. "There."

"Hm, you are out of practice."

"Save your comments for later." Haru pulled open the drawer and pulled out what looked like a map.

"See? They're just blueprints for some building."

The darker brunette spread out the map upon the desk. "Yeah, but the question is, of where?"

"Does it matter? Perhaps it's some blueprints the previous owners had for another warehouse..."

"It looks more like some house than a warehouse," Haru muttered, tracing the outline of the building on the paper.

"Fine, so maybe it does belong to Oscar – maybe it's some plan for a raid he's going to pull off. How would you even be able to tell what building it is anyway? It's not like you know the layout of every place between here and the next town."

"No, it isn't... but," Haru murmured, a cold dread settling over her, "I do know the layout of a particular estate..." Her hand folded into a fist on the map. "Well enough," she added, her voice dropping with horror, "to know exactly what this is of."

A cold voice came from the door of the office. "Look what we have here... What am I to do about you, Haru?"


	25. Trapped

Chapter 25: Trapped

Haru's first instinct was to jump away from the map, but every muscle in her body seemed to have frozen.

"Oscar... what are you doing with this map?" she asked tautly.

"Business. But what are you doing here? I thought you knew it was not polite to rifle through another person's possessions."

"I thought you knew it was not polite to keep secrets and use people," Haru shot back. "But then again, I should have known you were not above such things."

"At least my doings are business. You're just acting out of curiosity. And you know what they say about curiosity and the cat."

Hiromi looked from Haru to Oscar. "What does the map show? Is anyone going to explain, or am I expected to already know?"

"It's of the Gikkingen estate," Haru said, not taking her eyes off the man for a second. "And I want to know why. What 'business' have you got yourself involved in?"

"Business that pays."

"You're being paid? By who..." Haru's expression suddenly cleared. "Ah... let me guess, that little spot of trouble that you got involved in the day before yesterday..."

"I was offered money for a simple job, instead of being handed into the police," Oscar sneered. "A public service I was asked to do."

"A public service? And what would that be?" Haru grinned. "Don't use that phrase unless you're going to tell me you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart. They offered you money, didn't they? And what was the job?"

"It's a simple case of pest removal."

"Uh-hm," said Haru sceptically. "Since when did you go into the rat business? Or have you been involved all along?"

"I don't think you quite get what I mean." A slimy grin widened across Oscar's features. "I've been asked to raise public awareness of the danger present in the estate."

Haru laughed. "Danger? I've been there and I can tell you that there's no danger–"

"Not even the monster called the Baron?"

The tall brunette froze. "What?"

"Well, people ought to know if they're sharing a town with a creature like him, shouldn't they?" Oscar continued greasily. "I mean, he could be a threat to the townsfolk... and that wouldn't be fair for all the people ignorant of what he is–"

"He would never harm anyone!" snapped Haru.

"You expect me to take your word for that?"

"Baron was the one who took me into his home. He acted more like a human being than many people I've known, including you! Yes, I expect you take my word for it, since you haven't got any other proof to back up your own theory that he's dangerous!"

"I have proof. An occupant of the estate has told me of the danger this creature poses."

"You're lying," growled Haru. "No one at the estate would say such a thing..."

"Then you were sadly deceived. Right now, the rumours about the truth of the Baron von Gikkingen are circulating the town. I expect a mob should have formed by this evening. I take it then that I can't convince you to join us?"

Haru spat at the man.

Oscar wiped it slowly off; vague disgust disfiguring his face. "Okay, if that is your final answer–"

"It is."

"Then I see only one course of action. Hiromi, get out here!"

Hiromi jumped at the sudden sound of her name and scurried out of the room.

"Since you won't join us, we can hardly have you getting in our way, can we?" Oscar grinned and slammed the door shut; Haru realised this just a few milliseconds too late and thumped into the door. She heard the lock turning.

"Hiromi, you will stay by this door. Don't let her escape."

"Yes."

Haru heard Oscar leaving and immediately began banging at the door and hollering at her friend on the other side. "Hiromi, please, you've got to let me out!"

"Maybe he's right though..." said Hiromi quietly. "Maybe the Baron _is_ a threat."

"He's not! Please, trust me on this–"

"_Trust you_?" snapped the smaller brunette. "Why should I trust you, since you haven't trusted me enough to tell me a single thing about what happened at the estate?!"

Haru drew quiet.

"See, you still can't talk about it!"

Haru sat back with her back against the door, letting her head fall onto her knees. Then, so quietly, she murmured, "Is that what this is all about? You feel I don't trust you?"

"What else am I meant to believe?"

"You could believe that I'm being honest. You could just take my word for it."

"That's hard when you're still keeping things from me."

"Hiromi, we knew each other for five years; we've worked together so many times... Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Why won't you tell me the truth then?"

Haru closed her eyes, trying to shut out the pain of her memories and let the evening roll in.

ooOoo

"Baron. _Baron_. BARON!"

Baron jolted out of his thoughts, almost dropping the butterfly necklace revolving in his hands in the process. "Sorry, my thoughts were... far away."

"No kidding," Muta muttered.

Baron ignored his friend's remark and focused on Toto. "What was it that you were saying?"

"There's something going on in the town... something big," Toto said. He was standing by the large window that overlooked the estate, looking out to the edge of the estate that bordered the town.

"And?"

"And we were discussing whether it would be safer if we got you away – at least until it dies down."

"Why would I need to leave?"

Toto huffed and walked over to where Baron was sitting. "_Because_ the rumour that is going about concerns your... appearance."

"So? There are plenty of rumours going around about me. It's what comes of being a recluse."

"I don't think you catch my meaning. These rumours are _true_."

Baron didn't look up at his friends; instead staring intensely into the sapphires fixed into the butterfly's wings. "So?"

"So? The truth about what you are has got out, and that's all you can say? 'So?'!"

"Yes, so? None of the previous rumours ever made any difference."

"But, since this one is true, that means someone here has leaked the truth..."

"Or someone who was here once," Baron added miserably.

Muta snorted and lowered the newspaper that had previously acted as a barrier between him and the other two occupants of the room. "Briar... _Haru_, whatever... wouldn't have told anyone about you, if that's what you're implying."

"It's the likeliest option."

Muta snorted again. "Yeah, if people were no more than statistics. Just because she left doesn't mean she would go and betray you, Baron. You asked her to trust you countless times; why can't you do the same for her?"

Baron remained quiet. He had changed since the last time Haru had seen him; his eyes were more feline than ever and now he owned a full set of fanged jaws. And the seizures coupled with the changes had taken a lot out of him, but not as much as Haru's departure. Still the azure butterfly spun round his gloved fingers, dancing a nervous routine that never seemed to slow.

Toto sighed and moved back to his previous place at the window; his eyes also dancing a restless routine as they skimmed over the familiar details of the estate and the town beyond it. His obsidian eyes slowed though over where the wall stopped to give way to the old metal gates.

"Baron..."

Something in his tone must have betrayed a new nervousness, since Baron flicked his eyes up to where his friend stood, although he didn't speak.

"We have a whole new category of 'trouble' coming our way..."

Muta heaved himself out of his chair. "What do you mean by that, Saddlebrains?"

"Well, I would say a mob at our gates is a bad thing, wouldn't you?"

Muta looked out of the window and gave a low whistle. "Wow, they've even got the pitchforks and torches. Clichéd much?"

"Clichéd as it may be, it's still not good news." Toto turned to the Baron. "Hey, Baron, we should get everyone out and moving."

"You think we've got enough time to get everyone out before they arrive?" Muta asked. "They're making pretty swift progress."

"Do you want Rosie in the mercy of that lot?" snapped Toto.

Muta sobered up. "Good point. We need to get the children and women out first..."

"They would be able to see anyone leaving the estate," Baron said listlessly. "That would just put them in trouble."

"Then we need to ensure they hide... that they're safe..."

Toto rushed out, but Muta stayed and watched his half-feline friend. "Baron... everyone here looks up to you. Whatever happens, they need your support."

"Why would they need the support of a freak like me?" muttered Baron.

Muta growled and half-hoisted Baron to his feet. "Baron, this is _not_ the time for you to decide to become depressed! People need someone strong to look up to and if you're not there, they're going to panic. You still have a responsibility to the people here!"

Baron blinked a few times and his eyes finally regained a spark of the old Baron. "Then what do I do?"

"You get the rest of the household together. We need to barricade the place, make sure the youngsters are safe... and we haven't got much time."

ooOoo

The fiery noise of the mob had dimmed to only a vague murmur in the distance now, but Haru still couldn't detach herself from what was going on halfway across the town. Curled up against the door, she could only listen, and imagine what damage was being done.

"Hiromi," she whispered, "please... I need to go..."

Numbed by her time waiting, Haru held no surprise when she received no reply. Her voice had grown hoarse by her pleading.

"They're- they're going to kill him, and I have to stop them. They'll burn the mansion... Hiromi, there are children there... the children will die too if I don't intervene..."

"They're only after the Baron, by the sound of it," Hiromi said. The door somewhat muffled her response.

"The mob is just a group of scared people, Hiromi," Haru whispered. "And when people get scared they... they don't think straight. Their fear is putting everyone in the estate at risk..."

She heard Hiromi get up. "Haru, why won't you tell me what happened at the estate? Why won't you speak about it? I was serious when I said you've changed..."

"Do we have to discuss this now? Time isn't on my side..."

"Yes, we have to discuss this now! Haru, you've been avoiding it... So tell me, why did you leave? What's turned you into someone different? What changed?"

"I fell in love!" Haru shouted. "Okay, are you happy? I fell in love!"

Silence reigned on the other side of the door. Then, "With who?" Hiromi asked in a hushed whisper.

"Who do you think?" Haru replied miserably.

"The... Baron? Haru, are you serious? The _Baron_? The half-cat creature that everyone is hunting down?"

"Yes, _him_!" Haru buried her head deeper into her arms. "And they're going to kill him, Hiromi. And I can't... I can't..." Sobs wracked her sentence, shattering her words. "I said it was complicated."

"Why did you leave? Did he not love you back?"

"I'm almost certain he felt the same."

"Then... why?"

"I've never felt this way about anyone... and I don't know how to respond to it. And then everything started falling apart... His cousin discovered who I really was, and I kept on hurting him every time I got angry and..."

"Hurting him? How...?"

"You still don't get it, do you Hiromi?" Haru asked faintly. "My cat magic... his feline appearance... it's all linked. I _caused_ what he has become. Every time I get angry, he becomes more... more feline. And I can't just stand by and watch while my own anger destroys his humanity..."

"You need to go back."

"Yes."

There was a sigh, assumingly from Hiromi, followed by a key turning in the lock. "Come on, we've got a castle to save."

Haru smiled weakly. "It's not a castle," she corrected faintly.

"Whatever. Although, how you plan on stopping an entire mob, I have no idea."

"Perhaps I can help?"

A pearly grey cat stalked out of the shadows.

"You! I said I didn't need any thanks," Haru accused.

"Yeah, I know. But Yuki said she would feed my tail to the fish if I didn't at least offer my services."

Hiromi looked uneasily between the two. "I guess you can understand the cat, Haru?"

"Yuki?" Haru echoed, ignoring her friend's comment entirely. "_My_ Yuki? Yuki who left when I was ten? _That_ Yuki?"

The cat's grin widened. "Oh, so you remember her?"

"But that was... eight years ago! How is she still around?"

"In the Cat Kingdom, cats age around the same rate as humans. It's all complicated, magic-y stuff." The cat waved a paw vaguely. "It gives me a headache just thinking about it."

"And you would be?"

"King Lune. However, at the time I was courting Yuki, I was Prince Lune."

"You're the cat that was always hanging around the place?" Haru thought back and suddenly wondered why she hadn't seen the similarities immediately. After a beat, she added, "Yuki married a _prince_?"

"It took a while for me to convince my father that too," Lune said.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just..." She shook her head. "You said you could help?"

"I did. Well, you can hardly go storming the castle with just the two of you now, can you?"

"It's not a castle," Haru muttered, sighing. She picked up her head. "What exactly did you have in mind, your Highness?"

"Your Highness?" Hiromi echoed. "He's royalty?" She made a face and added, "Cats _have_ a royal family?"

"Apparently."

"Lune suits me fine," the King put in. "Anyway, you could probably do with some help, right?"

Haru smiled a little grimly. "I guess we're going to need every advantage we can get. What's the plan?"

A shimmering blue portal opened up behind the royal cat.

"To start with, let's just focus on getting to the estate."


	26. Storming the Castle

Chapter 26: Storming the Castle

"The front doors are secure, Baron."

The Baron paced along the length of the hallway, sending nervous glances to see the mob below hammering at the front of the house. He didn't try to hide the fact that he was uneasy, but he did give the impression he had everything worked out. That was what people needed; the reassurance of a plan. Or, at least, the reassurance that a plan was in the process of being developed. People could handle nervousness, as long as they had that to hang on to.

"Have you checked the other doors? The windows?"

"Not yet, but why..."

"They won't stay at the front doors for long," Baron explained in a low, measured tone. "Not once they've realised it's heavily fortified. And then they'll move on to other means of entrance. Are the young ones safe?"

"Yes. Well... as safe as can be expected in the current situation."

"Thank you." He continued to watch the mob and added to Toto, "I still feel I should be helping with making the house secure."

"Baron, we've already discussed this. So far, your appearance is only rumour, but if they catch glimpse of you, it will be confirmed. The last thing we need is to add fuel to the fire by proving the rumour true."

"I just feel so... helpless up here," Baron growled. Subconsciously his hands curled into fists. He glanced down and slowly unclenched them. "Everyone is putting their lives at risk for me..."

A frown passed over Toto's face. "Baron, everyone is doing this out of choice. Out of loyalty to you."

"Yes, and because of that loyalty to me, they might die!" Baron shouted, finally turning to face his friend.

"And they know that. Don't patronise us with telling us what we're risking."

Making an indistinguishable noise in his throat, Baron turned away once again.

"Right. I'll... go tell the others to patch up the ground-floor windows and check the other doors," Toto eventually said lamely. Before he left, he added, "Baron, people are encouraged by the fact that you're giving out orders. They think you have a plan."

Baron gave the same unrecognisable sound as before.

"Do you?" Toto persisted.

"I just want everyone safe," Baron said, but his voice had become quieter; subdued. "But right now I see only one way of ensuring that."

"What?"

"What do you _think_ it is, Toto?"

"I..." Toto suddenly caught on. "No, Baron, no way. Not after the trouble everyone else is going through to protect you."

"It would solve the problem."

"If you think giving yourself up to that... that _horde_ would solve anything..."

"Try and tell me I'm wrong, Toto. You know I'm not."

"I-It's... I mean..." he stuttered.

"True, there hasn't been any fighting yet, but this place wasn't designed to go through siege. Sooner or later, this place will fall. The barricades are only delaying the inevitable." His voice had now changed to hollowness. "Sure, when you go back, tell them they're doing wonderful work; that they're making a difference. People like to believe that."

After a few moments, he heard Toto leave dejectedly. But, to his surprise, the door swung open and shut twice. He waited for his unannounced visitor to introduce themselves.

"I wouldn't have expected this from you, cousin. I hadn't pegged you as someone to hide when the stakes get too high."

"I'm here under protest," Baron answered flatly. "What do you want, Machida?"

"Nothing. Just seeing how you were managing. I don't want my only cousin to come to any harm."

"You and I both know that's a lie, Machida, so you might at least stop wasting your breath."

"Well, I _am_ concerned about your welfare."

Baron continued to watch the mob; looking without really seeing. "Are you disappointed I'm not already dead?" he asked blankly.

"What?"

"Dead. Kicked the bucket. Hopped the twig. Pushing up daisies. There are many euphemisms for it. Time is short upon us, Machida, so I have little use for your lies. I ask you again; what do you want?"

Machida seemed a little shocked by Baron's sudden burst of frankness, but at the invitation to speak freely, he returned to his usual confident and assured manner.

"They only want you, cousin."

"I am aware of this."

"People need not be harmed if you surrender yourself to them–"

"I am aware of this," Baron repeated. A slight growl crept into his words, not just because of the force in Machida's words, but also because he knew he was speaking the truth too. A terrible truth, but a truth all the same.

"Why do you stay cooped up in here while people downstairs put their lives on the line to keep the mob out?"

"I have been... convinced it is for the best."

"But you and I both know what will eventually happen. What you will eventually have to do."

More to himself than to his cousin, Baron whispered, "I won't let anyone die for me. Everyone has sacrificed enough to keep me safe."

A smirk slipped confidently across Machida's features. "You and I both know it's a merely a matter of whether you'll do the necessary deed sooner or later."

Baron closed his eyes; listening to the hum of his household busying themselves with fortifying the building. People he'd grown up with, people he'd grown alongside with. For five long years he had had so little contact with the outside world; now the comfort of the world he knew was battling the outside world he'd drifted apart from. The coarse yelling from the mob clashed ruthlessly against the purposeful resonance of the household occupants; the mob's shouts rising in senseless hysteria.

"I know, but it all seems so..." He shook his head, with little idea of how he planned to end that sentence. So what? Pointless? Useless?

So _unfair_?

He tried to ignore that word, but that word had echoed back over the years, digging into his mind like some parasite. Yes, unfair. He'd only been trying to do what he had thought was right; he had tried to save a life, and in return his life was taken away from him, in a different manner. He'd become what some would call a monster, a freak, and his world had suddenly been restricted to the confines of his home. True, it was glorified prison, but it was a prison all the same.

And recently that word had returned with a vengeance. It was a childish, self-indulgent word, but he couldn't shake it from him. Of all the girls he could have accidently met and fallen in love with, why did it have to be Haru? Why did it have to be the cause of his curse?

Again, he shook his head; eventually clearing the sense of injustice from his mind. "I think you should leave, Machida," he said quietly. "I need some space to think."

ooOoo

A rush of sound, a blur of blue; suddenly Haru was falling through into the familiar setting of the Gikkingen estate. She managed to catch herself from screaming as her previous surroundings of the warehouse were so abruptly ripped away from her to be replaced with the chaotic scene before her now.

Hiromi appeared behind her a few seconds later; just as disorientated as Haru, and staggered to the side. She didn't scream either, but her breathing was just a little bit too rapid to be normal.

The cat – King Lune, he had introduced himself as – jumped through; completely composed about the whole affair. He scanned the area. "Is this the right place?"

"Yeah..."

"Good. I'll be back in a moment with help."

Lune leapt back through the portal, which closed behind him with a theatrical whirlpool effect.

"What did the cat just say?" Hiromi asked, watching the empty space where the portal had previously occupied. Her mind apparently was on the topic of exactly what the feline monarch had in mind.

Haru pulled herself fully up onto her feet, hoping her legs would support her. She was watching the hectic sight before her. "He said he'd be back with help." After a blank look from Hiromi, Haru added numbly, "I think help of any description wouldn't go amiss."

People she had got to know in her few weeks at the estate were running to and fro; shouting orders, giving warnings, trying to find others. From where they were, Haru could clearly see the front of the house and, following that, the horde only held back by the wall between them.

"They've been infected by fear," she whispered, horrified.

The large form of Muta ran past. Suddenly he dug his heels in and headed back to the two shocked young women.

"Briar! I mean... Haru..."

"I go by either," Haru said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the townfolk beyond the house.

"What...? I mean, how...?"

She turned to him; her gaze a little haunted, but on seeing the familiar face, the look faded somewhat. "It's all complicated, magic-y stuff," she said vaguely, attempting a smile and guessing what his question was. "No one else is going to be getting in the same way we did, if that's what you're thinking."

"Why–"

"Did I leave?" she finished. She hesitated, unsure what sure answer she could give.

"It's all complicated, magic-y stuff," Hiromi repeated, saving Haru from a response. "What?" she demanded at Haru's expression. "Love is complicated, and it's magic! Sort of," she added.

Haru shook her head and looked over to the cook, hoping that she wouldn't develop a blush. Fortunately, it appeared that the chaos of their surroundings meant that an extra blood rush to her cheeks couldn't be spared. "Where's Baron?"

"He's in his quarters."

"He's not here helping?"

"We convinced him that the last thing _that lot_ need is to see Baron in the fur," Muta replied, throwing a thumb in the crowd's direction. "Believe me; it took a _lot_ of persuading."

"Right." Haru started to run, but stopped. "Muta, will you and Toto look after Hiromi?"

"Sure thing, Chicky."

Haru contented the concern for her friend, sure that she was in safe hands, and continued along the hallway and up the stairs. She passed a familiar dark-haired youth, but paid him little heed. Even if he did turn around and stare at her. She ignored him; it was him who had persuaded her that leaving was the best option. And she was sure that it had been one of the worst decisions of her life.

Despite her frenzied running, when she reached Baron's door she hesitated. Her feet brought her to an automatic stop, unsure of the welcome she would receive.

Relief?

Shock?

_Anger_?

She had, after all, abandoned him with no real explanation of her disappearance or of her past. One word and a necklace was all she had left; how could that possibly have been enough to even start to heal the hurt she had caused?

Her hand that had subconsciously risen to knock against the wooden door withdrew itself back into her; she cradled her hand like it had been burnt, furling and unfurling her fingers nervously. Memories of the Baron she'd known swept into her; a thousand shattered images. Baron standing at the top of the stairs, that first time she'd seen him since laying that dreadful spell on him; Baron sitting across the room that first dinner time, the arguments they'd shared; Baron trying to teach her to play an instrument, any instrument... and their first shared dance.

She closed her eyes and, unclenching her hands, slowly brought her fist up to knock. Then, after a painstakingly long moment, she moved her hand down to the doorknob instead. Before she could lose her nerve, she turned the handle and allowed the door to swing open.

Her scared eyes picked out the familiar form of Baron instantly; his silhouette clearly marked against the large windows that staged the mob below. The door swung lazily open and ground to a slow stop, but he didn't turn around. She waited for him to say something; afraid to be the first to speak. What would she say anyway?

The seconds ticked by, with only the distant shouts from the house and mob shattering the illusion it was just the two of them. Still he didn't say anything. Then...

"Yes?" His voice was impatient. "What do you want?"

Haru opened and shut her mouth several times, but the words would not come. Suddenly coming to find him seemed like the wrong decision.

"I asked what do you wa–" Baron had turned around as he spoke the last word; on seeing exactly who his guest was, the word died on his tongue.

Still words would not come to Haru. She could only smile weakly; shivering slightly as she fought back the desire to run.

"H-Haru?"

'_Please let him be pleased to see me_,' Haru prayed, although she knew not who she expected to hear her prayer. '_Please let this be the right decision_.'

Finally words found their way onto her tongue.

"Hi, Baron."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Shorter-than-usual chapter, I know. This just seemed like the right place to stop.**


	27. Walls

Chapter 27: Walls

The two stared at each other; each waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither sure what to make of the other anymore. Each battling their own inner demons.

A few more words fought their way onto Haru's tongue.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Baron repeated the word hoarsely. "_Sorry_?"

Haru flinched. "It was a mistake, I know; I should never have left, but..."

"You think a simple _sorry_ will explain everything?" Baron demanded. An emotion she had never seen before flashed across his face.

Anger.

"You leave – _disappear_ – and leave nothing but a one-worded note and a necklace to explain who you are? You think that simply repeating that word will help?"

Haru flinched again at every word; her hair falling like a veil before her eyes as she lowered her head. "I don't know what else to say," she whispered.

"How about a few truths? Who are you _really_?"

"I am Haru... DuBois," she murmured, trying to ignore the harsh tones Baron was using with her. She was on unfamiliar territory here. "Once I was Haru Yoshioka, but I was adopted into a new family when my mother married a well-off gentleman. I became Haru DuBois. That is who I am. Everything I told you about Haru in the music room was true; I just skirted round the fact that Haru was _me_."

"You couldn't have _hinted_ at the truth...?"

"I was scared," Haru muttered. "I never thought I would have to come to terms with what happened all those years ago, and suddenly you turned up. As large as life." A little of her previous fire finally returned. "You fell in love with a street child. You knew that."

"I fell in love with a young woman called Briar," Baron replied coldly. "That was before I discovered she didn't exist."

"I am everything Briar is, except by another name," Haru snapped.

"No, you picked up a whole new identity when you took up that name."

"Who are you to judge me?" retorted the brunette furiously. She was shaking her head and now her hair was swept aside briefly to reveal tears rolling down her face. "Who are you to say who I am just by the status I bear and the past I have to live with? Do you think it was any easier for me to go through life knowing I'd possibly killed a person–?"

"You didn't have to go through life looking like me!" roared Baron back.

"I thought I had killed you!" Haru shouted back. "Do you have _any_ idea what that knowledge does to a young girl? Was it not enough that I had lost my family, my home, but also that I should lose what little faith I had in myself too? That I started to think of myself as something less than human..."

"_Human_? What would you know about losing your humanity?" snarled Baron.

"What would you know about the _streets_?" Haru retorted. "That life... now _that_ strips away any respect you hold for yourself. Life becomes one long struggle for survival; only survival. What would you know about true hunger, hunger that makes you desperate to eat at any cost? What would you know about five winters' worth of cold; of coldness that chills you to the bone and is so cold that it burns like fire? Don't you _dare_ look at me and judge me by your standards, because you know _nothing_ about the cruelty of life."

Her chest heaving, her eyes glowing, burning, she finally added, in a subdued voice, "I thought you knew what you were getting yourself involved in. You knew I was keeping secrets..."

"Yes, but I didn't think it would be _this_!"

"What did you think it would be then?" Haru's voice began to return to the sharpness of before. "Something _simpler_?"

"I hoped it would be something I could _handle_," he growled back.

Haru began shaking her head and moving away. "You know," she started, her voice breaking before it could rise to the anger levels previously achieved, "I first thought that a person's humanity can be lost when they lose their human appearance. But I see I was wrong. You lose your humanity when you refuse to see past a person's appearance and when you won't judge them for what they've proven to be, but the mistakes they can't take back." Damn, the tears were back with a vengeance. She stumbled back, her hand searching behind her for the door. "I thought you understood that, but now I see that I was wrong. I won't judge you as a monster, Baron, but if you were a monster, it was never your fur that made you so."

She found herself staggering over the threshold of Baron's quarters, moving to the landing, but suddenly Baron's hand shot out and caught her wrist. She struggled against his grip, but he pulled her forward, making her realised she'd almost fallen down the stairs.

"Careful," he said quietly; the anger from earlier instantly gone, "you almost had a nasty accident there." He didn't bring his hand forward to sweep away the curtain of hair that had fallen between them again, but Haru could hear in his voice that he was just as scared as she was by his past words and actions. Guilt had risen up to join that fear; which was quickly proven by the way he abruptly released her wrist.

"Baron?"

"I'm... sorry," he said, suddenly painfully aware that he was repeating the very word he had shouted at Haru for using previously. "I should have... I should have thought before I spoke. These last few days have just been... taxing," he eventually decided on.

Haru saw a difference about Baron's face. She brought one hand up as if to place it on his cheek, but suddenly thought better of it and withdrew it. "Baron, has something changed? Have you had another seizure?"

"A few. They were okay."

"Liar," she said softly. "I've seen your seizures. 'Okay' is very far from the truth."

"Well, do you have any idea how to reverse the effects again?"

Haru couldn't bring herself to reply.

"Sorry, that wasn't a fair question." He winced. There, he'd used that word again: sorry. He looked down to the subdued form of Haru. "If I could take back what I said..."

"Yeah, well we all have moments we wish we could take back," Haru said hoarsely. They stood awkwardly apart; their earlier words still very much present in the room, almost saturating the air between them. Haru sighed and finally let her head fall against his chest, but still finding no words to give. Strangely enough, their argument hadn't caused Baron to fall foul to another seizure... but maybe their argument had been necessary. They had kept so much pent up inside them; the chance to voice their fears had both been a relief and terrifying at the same time.

"Well, isn't this sweet?" A snide voice cut across the moment between Haru and Baron. "The freak and the thief... it's like a twisted version of Beauty and the Beast." The smirk could be heard in Machida's voice. "I'll leave you to argue between yourselves which is which."

Haru felt Baron place a hand around her possessively; the movement was almost automatic, she noted. "Machida, back so soon? What's caused this visit?"

"I saw we have an old friend back," the youth answered. "Perhaps you should be asking what's caused _her_ return visit."

There was the stampeding of feet coming up the stairs to where they were, stopping their potentially uncomfortable conversation short.

"Baron! Haru! You'll have no idea what's just happened!" Muta appeared at the doorway, quickly followed by Hiromi and Toto. "They just appeared out of nowhere!"

"Who did?" Baron asked calmly.

"_Cats_!" Muta exclaimed. "Loads of them!"

Hiromi grinned from beside Toto, her cheeks a little flushed after the sprint upstairs. "It looks like Lune kept his word, Haru. They've chased the mob off!"

"Lune?" Baron repeated, looking down to Haru. "And Lune would be..."

"The current Cat King that is married to the cat that was once my pet," Haru answered. "Yeah, I know, it's lucky, but right now I think we deserve a little bit of luck."

"Cat's _have_ a royal family?"

"You should have seen them, Haru!" enthused Hiromi, either ignoring or missing Baron's question. "They just poured out of one of those portals... it was _amazing_!"

"I'm glad, Hiromi," Haru answered. Suddenly, now the threat was over, she felt exhausted. "Really, I'm glad." She smiled tiredly.

"How is everyone?" Baron asked from her side. "Is everyone okay?"

"No causalities. Well, unless you count a few splinters when bordering up the windows, but I think those can be counted as minimal."

"We... won." Baron seemed surprised by the word that he gave to describe their survival. '_And I didn't have to go to the mob either.._.'

Toto looked to the couple standing side by side before him, and suddenly began ushering Hiromi and Muta out. "Come on," he muttered, "there's plenty we need to get doing."

Hiromi flashed a knowing grin at Haru and left, but Muta put up a bit more of a protest until Toto muttered something furiously to him. Then he left without so much as a murmur. Suddenly it was only Haru and Baron left... and Machida.

The youth stood by the open door, staring at the two with a look that could only be described as disgust. Haru and Baron returned the look, but without the disgust.

"Are you sure there was no reason you returned?" Baron asked. "Or did you come rushing up when you saw that we were going to survive?"

Machida glowered. "Shut up."

Haru tensed, abruptly putting the pieces together. "It was you," she whispered. The other two looked at her, surprised by the accusation. "You're the one who started all this... You told Oscar about Baron didn't you? You bribed him to start the mob..."

Machida opened his mouth, looking to deny it, but suddenly he had a change of heart. "So what if I did?" he demanded. "It was only right that people were aware of the monster that lives here!"

"Pest removal..." she murmured. Her eyes flicked up to Machida, furious. "That's the phrase you used with Oscar to describe the mob's purpose. "_Pest_ removal... a public service... raising awareness... like Baron was just some... some _vermin_..."

"Is he not? All I see a semi-human monstrosity," growled Machida back. A moment later that self-satisfied smirk returned. "Seeing him fall in love with a peasant girl – an orphan, the cause of his curse no less – was the best joke I'd seen since being restricted to this damn place five years ago. And to see that his love had blinded him to seeing the plain truth about your past as well... I was thinking about just telling him straight out, but your way was so much better."

Haru flinched, remembering Baron's reaction when she had first returned.

"That's why you told me to leave," Haru muttered, realising the truth. She felt Baron to her side tense, but ignored it. "I began to fall in love too... and that undid the curse. Suddenly just waiting for Baron to turn fully cat was no longer a certainty; you needed to get me away so I wouldn't fall in love further and undo the curse yet more. And then, just to make sure that there was no possibility of Baron returning to human ever, you bribed Oscar to..." She trailed off and, shaking her head, whispered horrified, "Baron's not the monster... You are!"

"Unfortunately, Miss Haru, the world takes a much shallower definition of the word _monster_. You see me? I'm human. But you, cousin?" Machida sneered, directing his question to Baron. "Well, all people see are your whiskers. Who do you think they're going to condemn as the monster?"

"Machida, is it true what Haru said?"

"Do you really need me to confirm that? I can see you believe her."

"I want to hear you say it," Baron growled.

"Fine, it's true. But what are you going to do now? _What now_?" roared Machida. "You couldn't send Haru to the police in fear of involving yourself and getting noticed. What can you say to the law to keep suspicion off yourself? You can't do anything to me."

"I think the question is, cousin, what do _you_ plan to do now?" Baron said, his voice deceivingly calm. "You've played all your aces... What now?"

"Oh, I'm sure I still have a few wildcards up my sleeve."

Haru became unnerved. She moved away from Baron. "I'm going to go and get help."

Machida slammed the door before she reached it, locking it in one movement. Suddenly she was out of Baron's reach and scarily close to Machida. She froze.

"Let me leave," she said quietly.

Machida just grinned. "I think I've found the wildcard I was looking for." His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist; pulling her arm round behind her back in one swift, fluid movement; a knife appearing in his right hand as he pulled it out of its hidden sheath and bared it to her neck. Haru struggled for a moment, then grew cautiously still as the knife's edge threatened to stroke her exposed neck.

"If we were playing chess, I think the equivalent here would be I've just caught your queen," Machida said, smirking.

"Don't you dare..."

"Dare what? I don't think you're in the position to bargain. Killing her would be all too easy."

"He's bluffing," Haru muttered, but her eyes betrayed her fear. "He wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?"

"No," Haru gasped, as she felt the knife's blade move closer to her bare skin. "If you do, the curse might end."

"That wasn't proven!" Machida snapped.

"Still possible. And would you dare risk it?"

For a moment, she believed she had won some ground, but then she felt the confidence returning to him. "If you think that killing you is the only option I have right now, I'm afraid you're deceived. As they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat." He twisted her arm further around her back, making her body jerk back in a spasm of pain as a half-formed scream escaped her mouth. Tears rose to her eyes, blurring her vision, but she still saw Baron's form crumple to the ground. It took her several moments to understand what had happened, but once she did, her screams began to form into distinguishable words.

"No... no, no, no, no... please don't... don't make me change him! Don't..."

She couldn't see through her tears just how he was changing, but she knew enough about the seizures to know that he was in extreme pain right now.

Machida released her; her knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the floor, still gasping. Her tears cleared long enough for her to see that Baron had ripped his gloves off; his half-hands, half-paws mutating into complete cat paws. She guessed his feet were probably undergoing the same painful transaction.

"Now, that's not nearly enough," Machida mused. There was an insane note of humour in his voice, as if the scene before him amused him somehow. "He still looks human." Before Haru could move, he grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet, screams of pain erupting from her at the movement. He kept the tension constant, nearly pulling her hair from its roots. Haru saw Baron's body contort as it was hit by yet another seizure.

A moment later, she was thrown to the side, hitting the wall with a painful, dulled thud. She lay where she had fallen, small whimpers of pain escaping her lips. She could hear shouting coming from outside the room; evidently her screams had been heard.

"Now, _that's_ more like it," Machida gloated.

Haru dragged herself off the floor, her hands barely able to keep her upright. At first all she could make out was the fact that Baron wasn't moving, apart from the weak rise and fall of his chest. Then she saw the change that Machida was referring to.

He was still the same size as a human, but that was the only similarity he now bore to his former species. His whole posture had changed to that of a giant feline. Ironically, his clothes – which, Haru remembered, had been spelled for a perfect fit (this evidently included feline shape) – still fitted. But it only served to make him painfully less human. Like some great beast masquerading itself as a human.

"Now, maybe I should leave you like that," Machida continued to ramble; the glint in his eyes had turned beyond madness. Madness was simply irrational, but this... _this_ was brutality... inhumanness at its worst form. "I don't think you can even talk anymore, can you? Maybe you'll end up in some freak show; goodness knows you belong in one."

Baron tried to push himself off the ground, but he seemed to be struggling with the concept of life on all four limbs. That, and the fact that he was still weak resulted in his feet giving way under him a few seconds later. A deep growl resonated within him though; even Machida could tell that this was promising revenge when he could finally get to his feet. Or, should it be, _paws_.

"Maybe I should just complete the change," Machida mused. He wasn't intimidated. Yet. Baron could hardly stand, let alone attack him. "Haru could keep you as a pet." For some reason this made him laugh. "I doubt that even she will be able to reverse the change once the curse is complete."

Baron flicked his head to Haru; the two of them were both shaken by their pain; both hardly able to support themselves anymore. Haru hadn't realised it, but it wasn't just the pain that was tiring her out. The brutality of how she was being forced to continue the curse was taking its toll on her too. She had never used her magic so intensely in such a short time and that was leaving her shaking.

Haru met Baron's eyes.

'_He has the same eyes,_' she noted feebly. She didn't know why this was a surprise, but it was.

Baron's gaze flicked abruptly to above Haru's head. She heard it too; the sound of Machida coming back towards her.

'_What would one more seizure do to Baron?_' Haru speculated weakly. She looked to the shaken form of the now almost-entire-cat and knew. Baron was losing what little human he had left... one more seizure would finish it.

She heard Machida stop behind her. She whipped her hand; the strength of that fear driving her, and her hand curled around his wrist, stopping it before it got near her.

Machida seemed unconcerned at the action; perhaps he had realised how little strength she had left in her. He brought his hand up, dragging Haru to her feet. She didn't resist the action, actually needing the support to be able to stand. Yes, she was weak, but she hadn't given up yet.

There was an important difference.

The knife appeared and lingered dangerously close to Haru's face. Shaking slightly, she didn't have the energy spare to flinch away. This could appear as defiance, but they both knew it was sheer exhaustion.

"Just one more seizure should do it," deliberated Machida, that same smirk returning to his face. "What should I do this time? I think you would look lovely with a few scars. Maybe just... here..." He drew the knife slowly along her cheek, stroking it with the blade in an almost lovingly way. The knife didn't draw blood; Haru still didn't react. Some sort of cold fury was building up inside her.

"What about from here..." He pressed the blade against the tip of her lips, "... all the way to here..." The knife drew an invisible line up to the top of her jaw. "Maybe I should do one on the other side so you always have a permanent smile... How does that sound?"

"You're a monster," Haru whispered. Her hand suddenly tightened around Machida's wrist, cutting off the circulation. Machida tensed at the action. A calmly furious smile slipped onto her face as her eyes narrowed and something clicked into place in her head. Her rage found a direction to go. "And so you should look like one..."

Where Haru's hand was, fur began to grow on Machida's wrist. The black fur ran up his arm and along his fingers like some disease accelerated into a gross, unnatural speed. Machida stumbled back; his humanity being stolen from him at a twisted pace.

"What have you done to me?" he roared, even as two black furry ears broke from his head.

Haru's glare had turned calculating. "Turned you into what you condemned Baron for," she answered coolly. "Only this looks like it's going at a much faster rate."

Machida watched his left hand morph into the same cat paw that Baron's hands had changed into only minutes before. The curse had yet to reach his right hand, but it was travelling up his arm and along his chest; it wouldn't be long before he had two cat paws to match.

"You... you..."

"Pick an insult," Haru dared. "I've heard them all."

Machida bent down and grabbed the knife that had previously slipped his grasp. "You _witch_!" he bellowed and charged at Haru with the knife in hand.

The knife flashed above Haru's head even as she lurched back, but something large and furry leapt past her. Her left foot slipped and she plunged back, falling onto her back even as she heard two twin roars.

And then silence.

She blinked her eyes open. Apart from the shouting coming from the other side of the door – she could make out the voices of Muta, Toto and Hiromi – it was silent. Something was wrong.

She pushed herself off the ground.

The sight that met her sent her reeling back.

"No..."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Yes, Baron's reaction at the start was unexpected; probably highly OOC, but my reasoning is that after five years of being confined to his estate, having to grow up faster than most guys his age, falling in love and then discovering the girl to have kept the truth from him and be the cause of his curse... I thought it would be enough to make even Baron snap at the unfairness of it all. To those of you who were expecting a fluffy reunion... you obviously haven't read enough of my stories. **

**Um, cliffhanger?**


	28. Nothing but Love

Chapter 28: Nothing but Love

"No..." she whispered again. She staggered to her feet, ignoring her body's complaints and stumbled to the horrifyingly still form of Baron.

Machida was dead; his eyes glazed over in the sheen of death. Baron had thrown him against one of the walls. It appeared he had broken his neck. Instant death. His form was a mass mutilation between human and cat; his left arm, left eye and head all cat, with his right eye still the shape of a human's. His right arm was still human; in juxtaposition of his left. His mouth was full of misshapen teeth; lost somewhere between cat and human.

Haru knelt beside the feline form of Baron; her hands moving to his chest where the knife protruded. When she brought her hand away, she found it wet with blood. The rise and fall of his chest was pitifully weak.

But he was alive.

Just.

"Please don't die," she murmured. Her head buried itself into his shoulder, savouring the warmth that remained there; just one of the few weak life signs he was emitting. She tried to ignore his rapidly deteriorating pulse. "Don't leave me."

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Baron turned his head to hers; a gentle purr vibrating from his throat. He didn't try to say anything, only hoping that he could simply convey his meaning by that rather than through clumsy words.

"I've lost Mum and Lou and Dad... my unborn sister... Taro... Why must I lose you too?" she demanded in a tight whisper. "After everything we've gone through, why must you die _now_?"

She opened her eyes, looking straight in the emerald depths of Baron's. "Baron, I hope you know I love you." She closed her eyes, struggling with her words. "I think I have for a long time, I just couldn't accept it. That was why I ran away. I couldn't handle... I couldn't handle the idea that I was falling in love. And now look what I've done..."

A gentle hand caressed her cheek. "You always had a habit of putting yourself down."

"It's my fault," Haru said hoarsely. "It's my fault I couldn't change you back."

Baron gave a quiet chuckle that was drawn short by a bout of pain. "I think that's one hurdle you've overcome today. Open your eyes, Haru."

Through tear-stained eyes, Haru blinked, Baron's hand still softly holding her cheek. Wait a moment... _hand_? Her eyes flew completely open. Instead of the feline face she had grown to know – and love, she admitted – there was a human face. She blinked several more times.

"Baron?"

He smiled slightly – he still had the same subtle smile as always. "What's the matter? Did you like me better when I was a cat?" he joked feebly.

"No, I just... I mean..." She gulped nervously, becoming aware of just how close their faces were. "What I meant to say is..." She reddened. "You're very handsome as a human too."

"_Too_?"

She gave a watery laugh, but then her laugh broke down into heaving sobs. "Dammit, Baron. Why did you have to be so gentlemanly?"

She could see he was struggling to remain conscious; struggling against a tide that was rapidly going out, pulling him with it.

"I knew... I knew that I would have to die for someone else to survive today," Baron said weakly. "I thought it was going to be with the mob, but I never imagined it would be defending you. I'm glad it was."

"Don't talk like that," Haru croaked. "You're going to be fine."

Again, that subtle smile returned. "Doctor Thomas is never going to forgive me for this. After all the warnings he gave to make sure I survived, and now I get myself killed by a simple knife."

"You're trying to make me laugh," Haru noted, choked with sobs. "It won't work."

"I always liked your laugh. It's a shame you never laughed more often."

"I won't have much reason to laugh if you die," she said, attempting to sound scolding, but all she managed was a wavering tone.

"Yes, you will. You'll carry on and you'll find new reasons to live. Just like you did after your family's death."

Haru was shaking her head. "Don't you dare go dying on me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me like they did."

The door behind her cracked and groaned, finally giving way to Muta. He clambered through the ruined door, followed by Toto and Hiromi.

"Hey, Chicky, what's happened? We heard screaming and... and..." Muta trailed off as he saw the almost lifeless form of Baron. His eyes scanned the room, resting on the body of Machida, then Haru, and then back to Baron, focusing on the knife wound. Hiromi saw Machida and gave a shocked screech as she saw the unnatural hybrid he had become. Toto took her to one side to help her calm down.

Muta knelt down beside Haru, ignoring Toto and Hiromi. "There's nothing we can do..."

"There must be something."

"He's lost too much blood..."

"No," Haru whispered. "No, he's going to be fine."

Muta placed a large hand on her shoulder. "It'll be a lot less painful for you if you don't try to deny it."

"What am I meant to do then, Muta? Accept it?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do." He stood up, trying to motion for her to do the same too. "Come on, you probably don't want to be this close to him when... well, when he passes over."

"I'm not leaving him, Muta," Haru growled. "This happened because he had to save me. I'm not going to abandon him now."

"You returned him to human. Isn't that enough?"

The same coolness from before suddenly returned to Haru. "No, it's not." As if a key had been turned inside her, she felt her magic unlock. For a moment, just a moment, she accepted who she was; she accepted _what_ she was.

Around her and Baron, a clear barrier sprung up from the ground, cutting them off in a clear, but solid, dome before Muta could come closer to move her away from Baron. The dome wavered, like the air does in an intense heat, before appearing to vanish. However, Haru could sense that it was still there.

Out of the corner of her eye, Haru saw Muta panic, evidently believing this to be a new trick or trap, and alert the other two. She had to guess, since no noise entered through their half sphere.

Haru blinked, suddenly realising what she'd done.

"Was that... you... Haru?" Baron asked weakly.

"I... think so." She turned her head back down the now-human Baron. He was running out of time. Even now she could see that death had sunk its jaws into him; had already nearly claimed him for its own. "I thought my magic could only do... cat stuff..."

"I think you've... broken the lock..."

Haru swiftly placed a finger on his mouth this time. "Shush. Don't waste your energy talking."

"Why not? I'm going to die anyway. I might at least use my time productively."

"I've already told you once not to talk like that," scolded Haru in a whisper. She didn't know why she was whispering; it was almost like she didn't want Death to overhear them and know that it had missed Baron.

"Would you rather talk about something else then?"

"I'd rather you lived to talk another day."

"Sometimes we don't always get what we want. Life can be... incredibly unfair like that at times." He managed a smile, but even that was weaker than before. "Talk to me. Tell me... tell me what you're going to do tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

He nodded weakly.

"Tomorrow... we're going to take Gideon and we're going to go for a ride through town. And then we're going to have a picnic in the town park and no one will look at us twice because we're both just perfectly ordinary humans." Haru choked on the last word; tears were rolling freely down her cheeks. She wiped one away and continued. "After that we're going to go the theatre and spend the hour watching someone else's problems, and then we're going to return to the estate and have dinner together. And we will laugh about today, and treat it as if nothing happened, and laugh then because we're just two perfectly ordinary humans enjoying a perfectly ordinary day."

"Sounds like you've got it all mapped out."

"Yeah, but you'll have to pay for the theatre," Haru said tearfully, attempting to smile and failing, "because I don't have any money."

Baron moved his hand and took Haru's hands. Her hands still had a slight stain of blood from earlier, but he made no comment about it.

"It was fun though, wasn't it?" As he spoke, the smile was struggling to stay afloat. "I think we both broke the mould we were set in, don't you?"

"Most definitely," Haru whispered. She felt his hand begin to relax, as if he was already giving up to death. "No... no, not yet! Please, not yet! Stay with me just a while longer!" Her hand tightened around Baron's, as if she personally could hold him back from the brink of death. "Please..." She closed her eyes, but then, just as suddenly, they flew open again. "Wait just a moment... I broke the mould..." she echoed. "Surely if my magic can do that..." she muttered, rolling her eyes up to the invisible dome around them, "...then I can heal you?"

Ignoring the harassing voice in her head that was telling her that Baron was too far gone, she looked to where the knife remained. She hadn't removed it; she knew that removing it without anything to stop the blood would just kill him faster. But now... She couldn't heal him if the knife remained there. Her hands hovered around the bloodstained blade.

'_He's dying already, right?_' she reasoned wildly. '_So this is his last chance of survival._ _If I don't do this, he's dead for sure..._'

Still she couldn't bring herself to pull the knife out.

'_Breathe in, breathe out_._ Take a breath, take a moment and think calmly_.'

She placed her hands on the handle.

'_Breathe in, breathe out_._ Take a breath, take a moment and think calmly_.'

She wrenched the blade out of Baron's chest, crying out when the action caused Baron's whole body to jerk in an automatic reaction. No noise escaped from him. He had gone beyond that stage.

She hadn't realised it before, but the tears had returned. She placed her hands on the open wound; words she hadn't even realised she was muttering slipping past her lips.

"Please let this work... please let this work... please let this work..."

'_Breathe in, breathe out_._ Take a breath, take a moment and think calmly_.'

After a few frenzied heartbeats, she felt a comforting warmth flow down her arms, spreading to her fingers and into the wound.

"I couldn't save Taro... please let this be different... Let me save him..."

She flinched as suddenly her magic quickened and sped into the wound; draining her energy at an alarming rate. And yet she kept her hands steady.

"One chance... one chance to save him..." she was murmuring. She kept repeating words to herself, reminding herself why she was doing this. As if she needed reminding that she loved him. But she was afraid, afraid that if she let her concentration drop for even a second she would lose all chance of saving Baron.

The strain of her magic was burning her now; her eyesight narrowing to a dull haze as she too bordered on the edge of unconsciousness. The blood beneath her hands felt like it was old blood now... Was the wound no longer open? She couldn't tell; in her semi-unconscious state her senses were beginning to fail.

She knew she could only be a few seconds away from fainting, and yet she still had no idea how much she had healed Baron... Was it enough?

She could only hope it was as the last dredges of her strength faded. The last thing she was aware of was of a great deal of shouting as the barrier collapsed around them.

'_Please let it be enough_.'

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Final chapter next week!**


	29. Beautiful Ending

_So tell me_

_What is our ending?_

_Will it be beautiful, so beautiful?_

x

Chapter 29: Beautiful Ending

Haru decided she hated the colour neutral white. This was several minutes after returning to consciousness, during which she had been staring up at the noticeably neutral white ceiling with very little source of distraction.

"Well, it looks like one of our sleeping beauties is awake," a voice commented.

Haru flicked her eyes to the side, making herself a little dizzy in the process. There was the doctor at the side of her bed, but there were several other forms across the room blocking the light. "How is Baron?" she asked automatically. Her voice was pitifully hoarse, but she ignored it.

Another voice chuckled from the side. "Told you so. Don't worry, Chicky; Doctor Thomas says he's going to live."

Haru smiled tiredly. "Good."

"Are you going to explain to us what happened back there? I mean, this barrier just sprung up and–"

"Renaldo!" Doctor Thomas snapped. "My patient needs rest; _not_ interrogation."

"Renaldo?" Haru repeated.

Muta's face reddened. "It must have been my parents' idea of a joke when they named me _that_."

The doctor scowled. "_Rest_, remember?" He sighed and turned away. "I don't know why I bother; it's never made any difference in the past..."

Haru sat back against the bed board, looking to her other visitors. Toto and Hiromi were the other two main guests, along with the little form of a particular brunette. "Hi, Rosie."

"B-Briar?"

Haru didn't try to correct her. In Rosie's eyes, she probably was still called Briar. Somehow she had a nagging feeling that in years to come she'd still be referred to as Briar by Rosie... in the same way Muta's real name was Renaldo – apparently – but went by Muta. Instead, she just smiled.

Rosie approached her bed and was helped to sit on the sheets by her father.

"Why did you leave, Briar? Didn't you like us anymore?"

"Of course I still like you," Haru replied. "Things just got... complicated."

"But _why_ did you leave?" Rosie repeated, stubbornly stuck on the question. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were going?" After a beat, she added, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I suppose it was because..." Haru trailed off, thinking. She pretended not to notice that the rest of her visitors were not-so-subtly listening in. "Well, because I was scared. I thought you might be able to talk me out of leaving."

"And would that be bad?"

"I thought so at the time."

"And what do you think now?"

"I think... it was the biggest mistake I could have made," Haru said truthfully. She smiled a little ruefully to Hiromi. "Even if it did bring me back to an old friend."

Hiromi smiled back.

"And what are you going to do now?" Rosie persisted.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Well... I suppose I plan on staying."

"Forever?"

Haru grinned, looking at the people she had come to regard as her close friends. "Well, as close to that as I can get."

ooOoo

Baron stared at the metal gates that represented the line between his estate and the outside world. "I'm not so sure about this," he muttered.

Haru hugged him from behind. "It'll be fine, I promise."

"Even after last month's events?"

"Toto said that they had put round a story that that rumour had started up after you turned up to the festival with your... ahem, "cat costume". There have even been a few people to support that story..." Haru grinned. "Someone called Henry Frost has been heard telling people that yes, you had a cat mask, but it wasn't even that good and the whiskers came off halfway through the day."

"I never thought I'd feel like thanking that man."

"He means well, Baron."

"Okay, so dispersing the mob rumours have been dealt with, but how am I meant to explain my sudden reappearance into society?"

"People will come up with reasons. You'll see."

"How am _I _meant to explain it though?"

"The same way as we did for the festival. Around your fifteenth birthday, you were terribly scarred... pick a reason, any reason, but try to stick to it. Recently you managed to find a healer... or a sorcerer, whatever is more realistic, and they were able to completely rid you of them."

"Yes, but is anyone going to _believe_ that?"

"Sound like you know what you're talking about and no one will question you." Haru hugged him again. "Now, come on, are we going to just stare at those open gates all day or are we going to go for a ride? A long time ago I thought we agreed today's agenda."

"In my defence, I thought I was going to die," Baron said weakly.

"But you didn't. And so here you are, alive and woefully hesitant about entering the town. Should I get off Gideon and lead the horse through the gates?" Haru teased.

"Thank you, Haru," Baron replied flatly.

"Even Gideon's getting impatient though. Come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Do you want a real answer to that?"

Haru sighed. "Okay, what's the worst that could happen_ realistically_?"

"That still doesn't make much difference to my answer."

"Okay, so you've got some serious paranoia issues about the outside world; I get that. Heck, I can even understand it after last month. But you've had a series of really bad experiences that's biasing your opinion. Just trust me."

Baron chuckled quietly. "When you put it like that, how can I say no?"

"Please?"

Baron sighed and regarded the gates once again. "Those gates have been the edge of my world for five years," he noted. There was almost a note of sadness. After all, his world had been relatively confined and thus safe and familiar for those five years. He was going to have to learn to adjust.

"_Those gates_ are open," Haru reminded him. "Doesn't that mean something?"

"Well, it either means that the groceries are being delivered today or someone's forgotten to lock it."

Haru poked him in the ribs. "It's funny how your humour picks up when you get nervous, isn't it?"

"Well, it's either that or mild hysteria."

Haru sighed. "Baron, what happened last time you left the estate?"

"Well, I believe I met a faintly irritating man called Duke Henry Frost, I asked you to dance and lost some whiskers in the process."

"See? Nothing bad then? And then you still had the fur." Haru smiled. "If it helps, remember that I'm going to be right behind you all the way. You trust me, right?"

"Up to the point of foolishness sometimes."

Haru's smile widened as she placed her arms around him. "Then let's go."

Gideon was started into an abrupt gallop and suddenly the sights of the town were speeding past them. Haru tightened her hold on Baron to ensure she didn't slip off the horse's back, but she couldn't repress the smile. She buried her head into his back, breathing that all-so-familiar mixture of tea and mint.

"Baron?"

"Yes?"

"I think I may have forgotten to tell you something?"

Baron slowed Gideon to an easy trot. "What?"

She picked her head up. "You know that little girl you once met? The girl when you were seven?"

"Yes?"

"You said you wondered what had happened to her, didn't you?"

"Where is this going, Haru?"

The brunette sighed easily and rested her head back against his back. "Well, let's just say I think she did eventually find her beautiful ending. What goes around comes around and sometimes... sometimes I think life _is_ kind to those who are lucky."

She grinned as she watched them pass by pedestrians; people who paid little attention to the couple upon the stallion. She felt Baron see this too and relax. And why would anyone stare anyway?

They were just two perfectly ordinary humans enjoying a perfectly ordinary day.

x

"_I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free_."

~ Charles Dickens

**ooOoo**

**A/N: The song lyrics are **_**Beautiful Ending**_** by BarlowGirl. And this chapter was short, but I thought there just needed to be a nice ending, rounding-off chapter.**

**As guessed, this was originally based off **_**Beauty and the Beast**_** (both the fairytale and the Disney version) with the question of, "**_**What would happen if Beauty was responsible for the Beast's curse?**_**" This seems to be my result, mixed in with some accidental **_**Oliver Twist**_** references and my usual variation. **_**BatB**_** is my favourite fairytale, so chances are I'll give in to writing another adaptation later on. **

**I have one question: If there was anything you could change in this story, what would it be? It can be anything from a character you wanted to see more (or less) of, a scene you did (or didn't) like, or even a plot twist you felt would have made this better. I've got thick skin, so make your reviews as candid as you like - I'm asking out of curiosity and a genuine desire to improve my writing.**

**Also, thanks to my amazing reviewers: **_**inulover1993, isara-love, neko girl, The GamerSwordsman, The Count Luca van Andrews, Nanenna, CC21, laurashrub, ChocolateSunshine500, sailor star rainbow, dribnevar, James Birdsong, Delilah Hunter, Raye of the Sunshine, Midnight the Black Fox, LxiaNi, Foxxel, Rowena BaronErikandSnapelover, Elizabeth, SideshowJazz1, A Toxic Detective x, Ebony Mitsu, Akasuki Demon Kiera666, Flame Darkmoon, Lighted Candle, XoXKeii-ChanXoX, Anon, Kaa, inujisan, The-Right-Girl, Solar, wild-filly, Snoozer, XthebutterflyX, Pure Fox, Princess who can't find love (annemarie), TurquoiseShine, pureflowersand2684, sassybutt32, Waterpokemon, GnomesyPokemon, E-man-dy-S, AkatsukiShizu3, phantomoftheknight17, Tear Droplet, Kaomycs, Cecily Mitchell, Baron's Girl, jackswoman, mininaxoxo, Bee's Girl, **_**and last, but certainly not least,**_** dundeegirl21.**_

**Wow, that is quite the list! Thank you, new or old, you all were wonderful and I wouldn't work half as hard at these stories if it weren't for your amazing encouragement! You keep us writers writing!**

**Next story:**

_**Two young women separated by class find themselves involved in a swap. There was only one rule Haru had been given: under no circumstances was she to agree to any matchmaking schemes...**_

**See you then and God bless. **

**Catsafari.**


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